Losing Faith
by cathster
Summary: AU. It’s the summer after Ginny’s sixth year, and Voldemort is dead. But still, things are not how they should be. How will everyone cope now that the worst threat is over? HG RHr
1. Return

**Title: **Losing Faith

**Summary: **It's the summer after Ginny's sixth year, and Voldemort is dead. But still, things are not how they should be. How will everyone cope now that the worst threat is over? HG RHr

**Genre: **Romance/Drama

**Rating: **T

**Author's Note: **This is not a sequel, though things might seem a little confusing. All will be explained in time, so please give me the benefit of the doubt, read, and review!

**V I V I V**

**_CHAPTER ONE_**

It was with a heavy heart that Ginny Weasley stepped off the Hogwarts Express and into her parents' relieved embraces at the end of a long, exhausting year at the school. Burying her face in her mother's shoulder as the middle-aged woman wrapped reassuring arms around her; Ginny blinked back the tears stinging at her eyes, hating the familiar lump that had once again risen in her throat. She scrubbed at her face as Molly pulled away to greet her youngest son Ron and his girlfriend Hermione Granger, both of whom looked tired and sad. Not a single word beyond a greeting was exchanged as their trunks were lifted onto trolleys and pushed through the barrier to where the Ministry car was waiting to take them all back to the Burrow. For the first time, Ginny realised with a jolt of shock, since Voldemort's defeat.

"How was school, dears?" Molly asked in a falsely cheerful voice as the five of them piled into the backseat of the car, the driver slamming the door shut after them. "How did your exams go?"

"Okay," Ginny murmured reluctantly, though her words were drowned out as Hermione launched into an eager step-by-step account of her revision timetable and her exam papers, oblivious to Ron looking at her with a mixed expression of fondness and exasperation. Tuning out as Hermione began relaying the questions of the Potions paper to Molly, Ginny leant back against the leather seat and gazed out the window, watching the city of London flash by through distracted eyes.

_Blood... the tangy scent of it amongst the smell of charcoal and burned wood… air thick with death…_

Ginny clapped a hand to her mouth as bile rose in her throat at the memory of the attack in Hogsmeade. Closing her eyes briefly, she struggled to regain control of the emotions tumbling around inside her, and, finally letting out a long whistle of breath through her teeth, she opened her eyes to see her father staring at her in concern. She gave him a forced smile before averting her gaze back to the window, uncomfortably aware of the fact that Arthur had not yet moved his own eyes from her.

_Screams and sobs… furiously thrown curses in all directions… arrays of different coloured hexes that lit up the sky like fireworks, though there was nothing beautiful about them…_

"Ginny!" Ron's voice, tinged with annoyance, snapped her out of her reverie and she turned to him, plastering a glare onto her face. "We're here." Ron motioned to the open door, and it was then that Ginny realised they were parked just a little further down the street from the Order Headquarters, and the rest of the occupants of the car were waiting impatiently on the pavement. "Oh, wake up, will you?" Ron snapped as Ginny struggled to pull herself completely out of her memories. He slid out of the car with her close behind and, between the five of them and the driver they managed to negotiate the trunks up the street to 12 Grimmauld Place. As soon as the Ministry car had driven off they stepped inside, Ginny shuddering involuntarily and feeling increasingly uncomfortable at being in that house of all places, even if it was for only a few minutes.

It was Harry's house after all, and though they had all spent plenty of time in it when Harry hadn't been there, this time was different. Furious that her mind had drifted back to him once more, Ginny kicked her trunk as she set it down, cursing inwardly as her toe started to throb. "Let's go." She said abruptly, pushing it towards the empty fireplace and ignoring the startled glances she was getting. "Come on!" She insisted, reaching for the pot of Floo power on the mantelpiece.

"What's the rush, Ginny?" Hermione asked in a kind, almost patronising tone. The redheaded sixteen-year-old struggled to stop herself from raising her voice at her friend.

"I don't like it here." She said firmly. "I want to go home." Feeling the tears stinging under her eyelids again, she threw the powder into the fireplace, feeling a great satisfaction as the green flames roared up. Then she stepped in, dragging her trunk behind, shouted "The Burrow!" and was gone from sight.

"Well, that was interesting." Ron said from where he had perched himself on the top end of his own trunk, unaware of the worried looks his parents were shooting each other. He gave a yelp as Hermione hit him gently on the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"I can't believe I didn't see it." Hermione said, shaking her head. "Of course she doesn't like it here. Not only was it basically the hiding grounds for us when Hogsmeade was attacked, but its Harry's house officially." She sighed. "There are far too many bad memories attached to this place."

An awkward silence descended as the eighteen-year-old's words sank in. Molly looked on the verge of tears as she succumbed to her husband's embrace, and even Ron's fervent use of language that she usually would have risen at did not bate her.

"_Ron_." Hermione said instead, warningly.

"No, this isn't fair." Ron said furiously, standing up so suddenly his trunk swayed and toppled over. "I hate this! Why – why does it always have to be this way? You-Know-Who's gone, and we should be bloody celebrating, not going around looking like the world's just ended!" He took in a sharp breath, trying to control his temper. "And I want to be angry, but there's no one left to be angry _at_."

He grabbed the handle of his trunk and dragged it towards the still burning fireplace. His ambition to become an Auror had become even stronger over the past year and at that moment it was burning inside him, eating him up as he itched to get revenge on the evil that had made his life, his family's lives, and his friends' lives hell over the years. Throwing another pinch of floo powder into the grate, he too yelled out his childhood home and was gone in a crackle and spark of the flames.

Not bothering to wait for the rest of her family to arrive from Grimmauld Place, Ginny dragged her trunk up the stairs, unused to the silence of the Burrow. She hadn't seen it since the previous summer, and it was much the same, only dustier, and without the familiar feeling of being lived in around the clock. Dropping her trunk just inside her bedroom, she collapsed on her back on the bed, staring up at the whitewashed ceiling. The memories were threatening to surface once more, and this time she had no distraction. Rolling over onto her stomach, she punched her pillow several times in a bout of anger, wondering just how she was supposed to cope with the summer holidays. Things were going to be so different.

_Buildings crumbling… unstable, blackened frames of shops and pubs toppling in over and under one another regardless of those still underneath… flames soaring up in great painful waves of heat…_

Several thuds from downstairs told Ginny that the rest of the family had arrived; it wouldn't be long before the twins showed their faces just in time for dinner. She couldn't help but smirk at that – they would once again be the ones that they all relied on to bring a little laughter and smiles to the family. It was all too strange and unwelcoming now that they no longer lived at the Burrow.

"Ginny?" Hermione was knocking softly on the door, and Ginny remembered with a start that the brunette would be staying in her bedroom for a few weeks of the summer before she returned to her own parents. Despite the fact that they had plenty of spare bedrooms now that she and Ron were the only ones living at home, having Hermione in the same room brought a great deal of comfort, and made Ginny feel a lot less lonely. Sliding off the bed, she padded across the room to open the door, tugging off her shoes as she did so. Hermione gave her a wavering, unsure smile as she dropped her trunk at the foot of the opposite bed. "Are you okay?" She asked finally, sitting down on her bed and unlacing her own shoes.

Ginny shrugged. "I've been better." She said truthfully. "But I'll deal."

Hermione bit her lower lip hard. "I know it's hard, but…"

"No, you don't." Ginny interrupted. "I'm sorry but you have absolutely _no idea_. Do you know what it's like to be constantly worrying about where he is and if he's okay even though it should all be over, even though technically it's over? And I miss him so much it hurts just to think about him, and I want to hate him for going and trying to cope with this by himself and to leave me here alone because he thinks it's better for _me_." The tears were pooling in Hermione's dark eyes by that point and Ginny could feel them falling down her own cheeks but now, opening up, she found she couldn't stop. "But I _can't_ hate him because I love him, because he's so bloody stubborn-minded and headstrong and caring even though he never understood the prospect of love before he met my family. It frustrates me because he still hasn't learned that everything isn't his fault and he doesn't have to deal with these things alone – because his _Muggle_ relatives made him think that no one cared and he still doesn't totally get it – so he thinks he can just bugger off because it'll be better for everyone if he doesn't _burden_ them with his own problems!" Her voice was hoarse with yelling and the tears that were lodged in her throat. "And I'm so scared Hermione, because what if – what if he doesn't come back?"

She leant back against her headboard, burying her head in her hands as her body wracked with sobs. Hermione hesitated only a moment before sliding onto the bed next to her friend and putting an arm around Ginny's shoulders.

"He will come back." She said firmly, with as much certainty as she could put into her voice, though there was that twinge of doubt in the back of her mind. Ginny was right about Harry – he didn't like burdening other people with his problems. What if he decided that he would be better off just keeping away from them, like he tried to so many times in the past for their own protection?

Sniffling, Ginny pulled away from her friend's embrace, drying her face on the sleeve of her jacket, and shakily got to her feet. "Come on." She said in a cracked voice. "I could really do with a cup of tea." The smile she gave Hermione was filled with gratitude as she turned and made her way down the rickety wooden staircase to the kitchen where her parents and Ron were settled, lost in thought.

"Oh, there you two are!" Molly jumped to her feet and hastily summoned the teapot to her. Pouring out two steaming mugs for the teenagers she set them down as Hermione slipped into the chair next to her boyfriend and Ginny sat opposite, hoping her eyes weren't too red. For once it was a comfortable silence that the family settled into, Arthur's head already buried in the daily newspaper and Molly eyeing the kitchen critically, obviously itching to get her wand out and clean it up a bit. Ginny couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as she watched Ron's hand cover Hermione's as she flipped through the many job offers she had extracted from her trunk before coming back downstairs. He had that familiar look on his face, a quirky, uneven smile playing on his lips as he watched her with eyes full of love. Breathing in the sweet aroma of the tea, Ginny traced her finger over the dents in the table, pinpointing the story of each crack from the many adventures her brothers had gotten themselves into.

_He was pulling her away from the Three Broomsticks as it dissolved into a mass of dust and brick… someone had grabbed her other arm and was shouting words she couldn't quite make out… before she knew it a Portkey was thrust into her hand and they were tumbling back into the safety of Grimmauld Place… _

"Little brother and little sisters!" A loud voice dragged Ginny out of her thoughts and she found herself swept into a tight hug around the neck from Fred as George did the same across the table, wrapping his arms around both Ron and Hermione and knocking their shoulders together. "Long time no see!" Fred continued gleefully, his eyes twinkling mischievously. Ginny rolled her eyes and reached up, pulling Fred's arms from around her neck.

"Honestly, the two of you, you're upsetting the tea." Molly said with a sigh of irritation as the table wobbled precariously, spilling the hot liquid over the surface. "Dinner won't be for another few hours so if that's what you've come for, you'll have no luck."

George pressed a hand to his heart, looking mock-indignant. "Well, I never!" He gasped throatily. "See what our own mother thinks of us, Gred?"

"I'm hurt, Mother, I really am." Fred sat down with a thump next to Ginny, almost overbalancing his chair. "Can we not come to welcome our little siblings back home for the summer?" He wiped a fake tear from the corner of his eye. "Ah, our Ron and Hermione, finished school for good now, all grown up. When's the wedding?"

Ginny snorted with laughter as Ron turned bright red and started to splutter incoherently, while Hermione suddenly found the wall behind their heads extremely interesting.

"That's enough." Molly said firmly, though there was a twinkle in the eye. It was without a doubt; Ginny thought wryly, that her mother would be the most delighted of them all when Ron and Hermione tied the knot – if they ever did. "What do the two of you want, really?"

George heaved a loud, exaggerated sigh. "She knows us too well, brother." He said mournfully as Fred nodded fervently. "As a matter of fact, dear Mother, it is not anything from you that we wish to have, but from our beautiful and oh-so-talented sister here."

Ginny blinked in astonishment. "Me?"

"No, Ron." Fred said, rolling his eyes. "Of course you." He suddenly looked serious. "With You-Know-Who gone, business has really soared." A proud smile stretched across his face. "We're doing quite well, if I do say so myself."

"I don't see where this is going." Ginny said blankly.

"We've bought a place in Hogsmeade." George rubbed his hands together, grinning. "But with business booming in Diagon Alley, we really cannot spare the time to get everything up and running in the other shop."

"I know _nothing_ about retail!" Ginny gasped. "Zilch – nada – can't you hire a few people to take care of it?"

"We could." Fred submitted. "And we probably will – but we're not about to trust just anyone to get the shop off and running. We're both needed at Diagon Alley, it being the larger of the two. You surely can't expect us to let a stranger take on this job? It's very important, you know."

"Plus, we didn't know a thing about retail either, before we opened the shop." George added. He looked almost pleading. "Come on, Ginny, you'll be able to boss the assistants around, you know how much you love doing that. We'll pop over now and again to help out if there's any problems, but its summer time. Peak season and all that."

"Hold it." Molly broke in, looking stern. "Have you two completely forgotten that unlike Ron and Hermione, Ginny has not yet finished at Hogwarts?"

Fred snorted. "No, we didn't forget – we just want her for the summer, Mum. By the time she has to go back to Hogwarts, things will have calmed down and we'll hopefully have found someone we trust enough to take over as manager of the Hogsmeade branch."

"Ginny is not yet seventeen – how can you expect her to take on such a massive role?" Molly snapped. "Like she said, she has no experience with retail, or handling customers, not to mention the finance side of it."

"I said we'll be popping over to help!" George said indignantly.

"_Hey_!" Ginny leapt to her feet as her mother opened her mouth to argue some more. "Don't _I_ get a say in this?"

"Why can't you ask Hermione or Ron?" Molly continued, ignoring her daughter. "They're both legally adults, and level-headed – together they would make quite a team."

"Oi!" Ron yelped. "What if we don't want to help? I don't want to spend my summer _working_. I have to do that for the rest of my life!"

"Ronald, this could be a wonderful experience!" Hermione interjected, her eyes shining. "Imagine taking on a whole store ourselves – imagine how it would look on our resumes!"

"I want to be an Auror, not a bloody shop keeper!" Ron retorted, snatching his hand from his girlfriend's and glaring at her. "I refuse."

"That's all right, dear brother, we never asked you." Fred replied, standing up and placing a hand on Ginny's shoulder. "Why don't we hear what our Gin has to say about it?"

"That's right – what say you, Ginevra?" George added, ignoring the piercing glare his sister gave him at the use of her full name.

"I say…" Ginny paused. The thought of taking on an entire shop alone was daunting, and she had at first had an instinct to say no straight away, but the thought of a long, boring and lonely summer soon chased that instinct away. Making her mind up on the spot, she nodded, a proper smile stretching over her face for the first time in what felt like weeks. "Yes, I will."

The twins and Ron let out whoops of glee; Hermione's face fell with disappointment and Molly looked torn between outrage and relief that for once Ginny was actually looking happy. Arthur merely looked up from the paper and gave his daughter a delighted smile.

"Excellent!" Fred said, patting his sister's shoulder so hard she was almost bowled over. "Now, we must get to work as soon as possible. If you would be as kind as to floo to 'Hogsmeade Wheezes' tomorrow at promptly eight o'clock sharp, we shall see you there."

Ginny nodded, picking up her empty mug and taking it over to the sink as Fred sat himself back down, resting his chin in his hands.

"Now we've got all the trivialities out of the way… what's for dinner?"

**V I V I V**

After an evening of the various members of the Weasley family coming in and out to welcome Ginny, Hermione and Ron back to the Burrow, Ginny retired to her room, trying to ignore the fact that she had seen her friend disappear into Ron's bedroom seconds earlier. Sprawling out on her stomach on the rug next to her bed, she paused for several moments in thought before tugging a piece of parchment and a fresh quill out of her bag. She had sent several letters to Harry since he had left, none of which had been returned, though for some reason she suspected that he did receive her letters and enjoyed reading them.

_Dear Harry,_

_Well, Ron, Hermione and I arrived back at the Burrow today. Hermione will be staying with us for three weeks before she goes back to her parents. I think that her and Ron are definitely taking advantage of their time – I saw them going into Ron's bedroom just now, which conjured up a mental image that I would _definitely_ like to get out of my mind as soon as possible! Anyway, we hadn't been home for any more than half an hour when, surprise, the twins appeared. Not for dinner (shocking, I know, but it was only __four o'clock__ in the afternoon) but to offer me a job! They've just bought a space in Hogsmeade and want to do it up as a second Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes but, it being summer, have their hands full with business in Diagon Alley. So they've offered me a position as manageress at the new shop! We've always known that they were crazy but this is in the flesh evidence. _

_I'm looking forward to earning some money over the summer and that it won't be as boring as I thought it would be, though I'm still terrified – I've never had a job before, so they've really plunged me in at the deep end! I start tomorrow… I still think, though, that it will be great fun and really interesting. Though no doubt I'll have to be extra careful handling their products if I don't want to sprout purple feathers or turn into a canary. _

_I know that you don't want to see me at the moment, Harry, but please at least just let me know that you're getting my letters and that you're safe. That one letter you sent to my mother last month was simply not good enough. You don't need to tell me where you are. Just please; write me something, so I know you've not really disappeared off the face of the earth._

_All my love, Ginny._

With a sigh, Ginny got to her feet, arching and stretching her sore back with a groan, and went in search of Pigwidgeon. He was fluttering around the living room, hooting happily, and she had to leap around after him for several moments before she finally grabbed him by one of his legs and dragged him down to her level. Her gaze flickered to the doorway as she attached the letter to an indignant Pigwidgeon's foot, and she froze.

There was Harry, leaning against the doorway, a smile quirking on his lips at the sight of Ginny jumping around after an owl.

"Harry?"

Ron frowned. "You okay, Ginny? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Blinking several times to get Harry's face out of her head, Ginny drew her attention back to the owl and sent him with a gentle push out of the window. "Great." She muttered under her breath. "Now _I'm _going crazy."

**V I V I V**

Ginny slumped down in a chair at the breakfast table early next morning and yawned into her coffee, ignoring her mother's amused glances. "I'm never going to be a morning person." She said, disgruntled, as she bit into a piece of toast that had been set in front of her. "First day of summer and I'm up at the same time as I am for school."

"Welcome to the world of work, my dear." Molly said cheerfully, and Ginny winced, struggling to stop herself from remarking that the only work her mother knew of was being a housewife, which was slightly different. She decided that would probably not go down well as she took a final swig of her coffee and clambered to her feet, staring ruefully at the magenta robes her brothers had insisted she wear to 'look the part'.

"This does not go with my hair." She grumbled, moving to the fireplace and taking out a pinch of floo powder from the pot. "I'll see you later, Mum."

"Will you be back for lunch?" Molly asked anxiously, moving forward and brushing down Ginny's already spotless robes. The redheaded sixteen-year-old shrugged.

"No idea, Mum. If I'm back, I'm back." She threw the powder into the fire, gazing into the green, crackling flames for several moments before stepping into them and shouting out the Hogsmeade store.

_"Bloody – hiding away like a coward!" He spat, wrenching away from her grasp and moving towards the fireplace… she hurried after him, the tears cutting tracks through the grime on her face… then there was a flare of green and he was gone from sight… before she could follow there came the sound of a strange, wailing alarm and the fireplace had sealed itself over._

Ginny stumbled out into a small, bare room lined with shelf after empty shelf – no doubt the stock room. She noted three doors, one next to the fireplace that she discovered led to a lavatory, one on the right hand wall that led out into a back-alley and another opposite the fireplace that, she found upon walking through it, led into the shop. It was a fairly large room, though by no accounts as large as the one in Diagon Alley, and empty but for a counter in front of the door to the stock room. Two _pops_ seconds later told her that the twins had arrived, and sure enough their voices were heard as they tumbled in from the stock room.

"Right on time!" George said approvingly. "What do you think, Ginny? Does it suit?"

"Of course." Ginny agreed, moving across the shop floor to the large window. She found herself looking out on the main street of Hogsmeade. After the attack the entire village had to be complete renovated and it all looked so unfamiliar. Most of the businesses had reopened in the same locations, though the buildings, having just been rebuilt, seemed cold and unfeeling. Few people lined the streets as none of the shops or pubs had opened yet; it was the shop keepers and assistants that were hurrying on their way to work.

"Right!" George clapped his hands together. "Let's get started!" He hopped onto the counter, dangling his legs as Fred conjured two chairs for himself and Ginny. He had several pieces of paper in his hand and he cleared his throat, pressing one hand against his heart and holding the other out as if he were about to make a grand speech. Ginny couldn't help but laugh; it seemed that her job would be even more interesting than she had first thought.

"Okay, here's the inventory – this is the list of the stock we'll be moving in – prices here…" George said, handing the sheets of paper over to Ginny. "You're going to need to know the ins and outs of the products for when customers need your help, so here's more information on the stuff." He gave her a rather bulky set of papers. Ginny looked at them in horror.

"I have to memorise this?"

"Pretty much so." Fred shrugged. "You'll know each and every product off by heart by the end of the week, trust me. You know the basics already." Ginny smirked. She had rarely been used as a test subject – the twins were too scared of her temper – though she had often seen Percy, Ron and even their father as product testers.

"We've got a new range of products out this month, so they're going to have to go on display in the window." George continued, tugging the papers out of Ginny's hands and pointing at a certain one.

"Taunting Teddy?" Ginny read in disbelief. "A seemingly innocent teddy bear that teases and taunts anyone who hugs it?"

"Or sleeps with it in their bed." Fred added.

"Not intended for anyone under the age of eleven, see." George hastily intervened, seeing the look of indignation on his sister's face. "We're not _that_ cruel to invent a product that would probably make kids cry. Eleven year olds, however…"

The morning was spent taking the new stock from the store in Diagon Alley to the new shop, and, loathe she was to admit it, Ginny realised that the twins really did come up with ingenious ideas. More often than not she creased up with laughter as she enquired on a product she hadn't seen before and one of the twins promptly showed it to her by trying it out on the other. After George had turned back from a purple singing canary for the fifth time (Ginny pretended she didn't know what it was, and Fred quickly caught on) it was lunchtime.

"Food!" Fred leapt to his feet. "And afterwards, we've got to leave you to it."

"_What_?" Ginny stared at them in horror. "You're joking, right?"

"Sorry, sis, but we can't leave Verity with the Diagon Alley store for the entire day." George said apologetically. "We just need you to check the inventory – make sure we've not forgotten to bring anything over. Not hard – you can count, right?"

Ginny put her hands on her hips and glared at George. "Fine." She said huffily. "But you owe me."

"Yes, two sickles an hour." Fred joked, raising his hands in mock defeat as her glare turned onto him. "Okay, okay. Now I'm starving, let's go and get lunch from Mum before Ronniekins eats it all."

The three disappeared into the store room, unaware of Pigwidgeon that had squeezed himself in through the small window above the door and was flying in circles cheerfully, a letter attached to his leg.


	2. Trying

**Title: **Losing Faith

**Summary: **It's the summer after Ginny's sixth year, and Voldemort is dead. But still, things are not how they should be. How will everyone cope now that the worst threat is over? HG RHr

**Genre: **Romance/Drama

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **It's all JK Rowling's. 'Nuff said.

**A/N: **Ooh, 4 reviews already! Definitely got to be a record for me – I'm a bit of junkie when it comes to reviews. Thank you _Cappygal116, Amaherst_, _richgirlwealthy_ and _Mei fa-chan _for making my day – here's some more just for you. grin

**V I V I V**

_**TRYING**_

"It's a good job I made plenty." Molly said cheerfully as Ginny, Fred and George stumbled through the kitchen fireplace just after midday. Ron and Hermione were already sat at the table, serving themselves from the spread that Molly had obviously not made for just three people. The Weasley children exchanged amused glances as the trio sat down at the table, Fred and George lunging for the same dish as Ron – most likely, just to ire their younger brother.

"You knew we'd be coming, face it, Mum." Ginny said with a grin, realising that she was actually hungrier than she had been in a while, and subsequently helping herself to three turkey sandwiches and a handful of crisps.

"You said you didn't know." Molly said pointedly. "But you're working with the twins, so I made a wild guess that you would be." Her eyes twinkled as she looked over at Fred and George, their own eyes wide with delight at the size of the lunch. "How was your first day then, Ginny?" She asked as she started serving herself. "Enjoying it?"

"Of course she is, Mum, she's working with _us_." Fred piped up, subsiding at the glare that the redheaded woman shot him.

"I was asking Ginny."

"It's really interesting." Ginny said eagerly. "I mean, we've always seen the twins stuff as things they've just thought up to annoy the heck out of Percy." She ignored the horrified gasps that Fred and George had given, and the snigger that had escaped from Ron's mouth. "But you know, it's so easy to see now how they're doing so well."

Molly sniffed, looking slightly sceptical. "Well, they do have a flair for this sort of business…"

"No, I mean – kids love pranks. But it's so easy for the pranks to be discovered before they're pulled off – Gred and Forge have made it so that the most original pranks are put in the most normal objects so no one suspects. And kids love that."

"Why, Gred, I do believe that our sister has just given us a compliment." George said, feigning a swoon and falling off his chair. Fred paused for only a moment before leaping after his brother, letting out a yell.

"Dear Merlin, she must be ill! Come on, Forge – get up so we can get her to a hospital. Quickly!"

"Honestly." Hermione huffed. "The two of you have to take a completely civilised conversation and turn it into a mockery."

"Nice bit of alliteration there, Hermione." Fred said, standing up and dusting himself off as George stared at the brunette, wide-eyed.

"I think she's channelling Mum. Hide me!"

"That's enough, boys." Molly said sternly. "It really is too much to ask you two to be serious for once in a while, despite the fact you're fully grown business men at that. Now, sit down and finish your lunch."

"We're just letting a little laughter into our lives, Mum." Fred commented, stuffing a fistful of crisps into his mouth and chewing on them loudly, not noticing Ginny stiffen next to him. "You know that there's not been much to laugh about lately."

At her brother's words, Ginny felt a guilt nudge bitterly at her. Here she was, enjoying herself, when Harry was goodness knows where wallowing in his own misery and with no one to make him laugh. The realisation hit her hard – leaving him by himself was the worst possible thing that they could have done. Not that they had much of a choice, but if they left it off much longer, he would start deluding himself into thinking that they would be better and happier without him. The turkey felt like paper in her mouth as she set the sandwich down, pushing her chair back.

"I'm – I'm going to go and take that inventory now, okay, guys?" She muttered to the twins, turning on her heel and moving to the fireplace. "Thanks for the lunch, Mum."

"You've not been here more than ten minutes, and eaten hardly anything on your plate!" Molly protested shrilly. "Sit back down, surely you're allowed a longer lunch break than that?"

"Of course – an hour." George said, looking confused.

"No, it's okay, really." Ginny insisted. "I'm not hungry, and I've nothing better to do, so I'll get a head start on it. I'll see you later."

Before her mother could protest more, there was another green flare and she was gone. Furious, Molly rounded on Fred. "How could you say something like that? You know that she's very sensitive at the moment – she was actually going to eat a decent meal for once, and she was _smiling_!"

"Yes, because of us." Fred retorted heatedly. "I'm not going to watch what I say around her, Mum. She doesn't want us tiptoeing around her, and you know it."

"It's only been two months since the attack." George added. "And the first time back to the Burrow in ages. She's going to act like that, and there's not a thing we can do to stop it. You've just got to let it run its course."

Molly sat back down with a reluctant sigh. "At least think before you speak next time." She said in resigned tones. "I suppose you're right."

The mood was a lot more sombre at the table for the rest of the meal, each well aware of the empty place between Fred and Molly that should have had their hyperactive, giggly Ginny there.

A lot of things had changed during the war, and they would continue changing even after it was all over, no matter how much anyone kidded themselves that it wouldn't.

**V I V I V**

"Pigwidgeon!" Ginny let out an angry bellow as she tripped over several boxes coming out of the stock room because a small owl dive-bombed her. "What the heck are you doing here?" Her eyes widened as she noticed the letter slipping of the owl's clawed foot. "He didn't bloody send it back." She fumed, kicking several boxes out of the way and hoping that there was nothing breakable in there as she made after Ron's annoying little owl. "If he doesn't watch it he'll be getting a Howler soon." She continued, ranting quietly to herself as she managed to catch the owl between her hands and yank the letter out of its grasp. "Go back to the Burrow, you annoying little animal." She snapped at it, heaving a sigh of relief as for once he obeyed and flew out through the window above the door.

She unravelled the scroll, expecting to see her own handwriting, and her heart gave a jolt as she did indeed recognise it – but it certainly wasn't her own. Sinking down into one of the chairs, her eyes drank in the words over and over, her fingers tracing the letters.

_Dear Ginny… I'm sorry if I ever made you believe that I didn't want to speak to you or see you. Believe me, it's killing me being separated from you, but… this is just something that I have to do. You don't need to understand, I just need you to accept it, please. I don't know when I'll be back but I promise, I will be. I wouldn't do that, not after everything that you and your family have done for me. Ginny… I don't expect you to wait for me. I'd understand if you didn't because, well, neither of us knows how long it'll be before I'm home. _

Ginny felt her eyes fill with tears at the use of the word 'home'. For the past seven years, Harry's home had been at Hogwarts, and now that he no longer attended there, she had often wondered where his home was. It was quite obvious now, and she couldn't believe that she had missed it; his home was, of course, at the Burrow, with the rest of them.

_I'm glad to hear you've got a job at the twins' store. There's nothing worse than a boring summer – it actually makes you want to go back to school! And Gin, please don't think that you can't have fun because I'm not. I want you to have a good summer. Voldemort is gone – you should be celebrating with your friends, not worrying about me. I'll be fine. Really. I'm not in any danger, and even if I was – hey, I took down as Gred and Forge call him, 'Voldy', I don't think a few Death Eaters will be too much to handle! I'm sorry I can't tell you where I am – but we both know exactly what you'll do, and I think that your mother may just throttle me for that. I'm so sorry for doing this to you. Be safe, be happy, and I'll be back as soon as I can. Tell your Mum not to worry, that I'm dealing, and tell Ron that if he hurts Hermione in any way I'll hex him into next millennium (yes, from where I am). I would tell him myself, but I'd rather not have owls from every member of the Weasley family telling me to get my ass back. Just you. _

_  
I love you, and I miss you. Harry._

Crumpling the letter in her hand, Ginny threw it at the wall with a yell of outrage. "Bloody stubborn _git_!" She shouted in frustration. He was right; she didn't understand. Why did he have to be apart from her to deal – surely it would be better if he had someone around to support him? Unless he was lying and actually preferred to be away from her. She dissolved into a fresh set of tears at the thought and slid off the chair to the floor with a thump, burying her head in her hands. Have a happy summer, indeed. Just because he told her that he was safe didn't mean that she could stop worrying, and she didn't doubt that her mother felt the same. They would only stop worrying once he was back with them.

"Need to stop this." Ginny murmured, taking her hands from her face and feeling the wetness of her tears between her fingers. With a final sniffle, she picked up the long list of stock and proceeded to do as the twins had asked her. Though it was a long, tedious job she found that she had to devote her entire concentration to it, which was definitely a good thing. It was a shock when she looked up what felt like ten minutes later to see that two hours had passed. Yawning, she stood up, groaning as her sore muscles screamed in protest, and made her way over to the window. Well past midday, the streets of Hogsmeade were now bustling with life. Children danced along hand in hand with their parents, teenagers strolled past chatting and laughing happily. None of them seemed to have a care in the world, and Ginny felt that familiar pang of jealousy roar up inside her. She berated herself silently; she knew plenty of people that were good at hiding their real feelings and pretending that they didn't, actually, have a care in the world. Including herself and Harry.

_She let out a cry of anguish and kicked furiously at the sealed fireplace, shouting his name. Greeted with nothing but silence, she turned on her heel and fled to the front door, realising even as she did so that it was ridiculous. There was no way back to Hogsmeade. She was trapped. Screaming again, this time in anger, she threw herself backwards onto the sofa in the living room and glared furiously at the wall, seething. How _dare_ he? How dare _they_? Leave her with no idea what was going on, so she could sit and worry for goodness knows how long? _

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Ginny suddenly had an overwhelming urge to simply bask in the new, cheerful Hogsmeade. Snatching up the set of keys that George had given her, she unlocked the door from the inside and stepped out into the street, pulling down the blinds and locking the shop after her. The summer sun beat down on her robed back as she moved slowly down the street, drinking in the sight of the new town. Three young children skipped around her, each licking an ice cream with the different flavours dripping down their faces, and looked up at her, laughing giddily. Ginny felt a smile crawl over her face.

"_Ginny?" Ron was standing in the doorway, face whiter than usual, blood trickling down one cheek and dripping into a pool on the floor. She leapt to her feet, gasping. "What – oh God, Ginny, we looked everywhere for you, and when we couldn't find you – we thought… we thought…" He broke off, looking distraught. "How did you get here?"_

"_The same way as you." She retorted, her voice laced with concern. "Portkey, right?" At his nod, she moved closed to him, bringing her hand up to the cut on his head. "You're hurt."_

_He waved a hand dismissively. "Just a small cut – you know head wounds bleed more than any other wound, and make it look worse. I'm fine."_

_She tugged her wand out of her robes pocket and pointed it at his head, ignoring his flinch as she incanted one of the healing spells she had read up on. He gave her an embarrassed grin as the blood stopped flowing. "Thanks."_

There was the familiar fountain still in place. It had barely been touched, only small pieces of brick that had broken off easily repaired. She moved up to it, realising that there was something different about it. A large, brand new plaque lay at the foot and she knelt before it, tracing her hands over the wording.

'In memory of those that died in Hogsmeade, 2nd May, 1998.'

There was a sad, almost fond look in Ginny's dark eyes as she ran her finger down the endless counts of names and dates. She recognised a few, and the tears sprang fresh to her eyes each time. Hannah Abbott. Dennis Creevey. Pauline Clearwater, Penelope's seven-year-old sister. Luna Lovegood. Her family had been extremely lucky that night – despite the fact that each member was out there, fighting for theirs and others lives, they had come away with a barely a scratch. Aside from Harry, of course.

"_Did you see Harry?" Ginny asked frantically, pacing the floor. "We were brought back here together, but the great git got out of here using the floo. Then the fireplace sealed over so I couldn't follow." She gestured helplessly at the grate. "Have you seen him?"_

_Ron swallowed, avoiding looking his sister in the eye. Ginny felt her insides turn to ice._

"_Have you seen him?" She repeated in a low, deadly voice. _

"_I saw him." Ron whispered, looking grieved. "He was – by the fountain." His mouth split into a wry, humourless smile. "Really letting the Death Eaters have it, he was. He was bloody brilliant."_

_Ginny froze. "What do you mean… _was_?"_

_Ron looked horrified. "Oh, bloody hell, I didn't mean it like that! I just mean – well, he took them all down, and last I saw of him, he was… just before I was given the Portkey, he was making for You-Know-Who."_

At the fountain, Ginny recalled being told. Lord Voldemort had been brought down mere inches from where she was standing, from where the plaque had been made. Her eyes drifted to the spot and she let out a short bark of laughter as she realised that there was another plaque there, no doubt where You-Know-Who had died.

'Here lay Voldy – good riddance. A gift from Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes.'

Ginny remembered the day that the twins had come home, proudly bearing the plaque, and informed everyone that they had paid no small amount of money to get it put by the fountain. They had, apparently, had to take a few more offensive words out as well. Her mother had thrown up a storm, but, as the twins had insisted, she could not do anything about it – they paid good money for it to go there.

"Shows we're not afraid anymore, not of Voldy, not of any Death Eater." Fred had remarked, and Molly had gone very red in the face and stormed out of the room, cursing her two sons under her breath.

Getting to her feet, Ginny brushed the dirt off her robes with a fond ghost of a smile at the memory, remembering how vividly it had been the first time she had laughed since it had happened. It always the twins that made her laugh, and always Harry that made her smile. And without Harry to make her smile… she wasn't sure she could laugh.

A summer breeze swept through the village, catching her flimsy robes and chilling her slightly, so she tugged them tighter around her and headed back towards the shop, satisfied that she could actually manage to walk through the town without drowning in the memories like she'd been afraid she would. Unlocking the door she stepped inside, closing it behind her and leaning against the glass for several moments. The crumpled up letter was near her feet and she bent down to pick it up, smoothing it out and reading through it a second time without that same anger. Her heart lurched painfully at some of the words Harry had written, so carefully worded yet still unable to hide his own pain. _'I'll be fine.' 'It's killing me being separated from you.' 'Tell your Mum I'm dealing.' 'It's something I have to do.' _With a sad sigh she folded it up and stuck it into her robes pocket before kneeling down amongst the hoards of boxes to continue her work.

"Ginny!" A few hours later a familiar female voice was heard from the stock room and Hermione appeared in the doorway, her eyes glittering with excitement. The redheaded girl clambered to her feet, spreading her arms wide to display her new working environment.

"What do you think?"

"Wow." Hermione gasped, running her hand across the counter. "It's so weird to think that this is yours."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "It's not." She reminded her friend. "It's the twins'. I'm just the manageress."

"But you're the one that's going to be running the place." Hermione insisted, strolling across the room and peering at the blank walls as if there were something interesting there. "You heard the twins – they're not going to be around much. You get to give instructions and deal with customers and sort out finances." Her eyes were shining with delight at the mere thought and Ginny had to smother a giggle. The things that so obviously delighted Hermione sounded rather boring to Ginny.

"You can help out, you know." Ginny said nonchalantly, and Hermione tripped over a box as she spun around. Not bothering to hide her giggles that time, Ginny helped the ecstatic brunette to her feet.

"Oh, are you serious? Really, Ginny? Can I?"

"We'll have to speak to the twins, obviously." Ginny replied. "But it is an awful lot of work and I do have heaps of homework as well, so I'd be grateful for all the help. Plus the fact that I can't use magic, so I can always do with a helping hand there. And hey, by the time the shop's up and running you can help with customers." She gave a sly wink. "We know how much you like the thought of that."

Hermione looked on the verge of hyperventilating. "Thank you, thank you!" She squealed, throwing her arms around the younger girl. "Ron's not going to be very happy, though."

"I'll bet." Ginny said dryly. "I don't need to guess what he thought the two of you would be doing all summer."

Hermione looked blank. "Wh – oh, _Ginny_!" She was turning a rather fetching shade of red, most unlike her.

"The twins will turn up for dinner, of course." Ginny said, ignoring Hermione's splutters of embarrassment. "I'll ask them then, though I don't think they'll have a problem with it. Ron, on the other hand…"

"Ron will throw a fit." Hermione agreed, and looked almost cheerful. "He'll find that he'll want to start Auror training straight away with me and you at the shop all the time."

Ginny frowned, kneeling down to reseal up the last boxes and shove them in the pile in the corner. "I don't think so." She said slowly. "He wants to go into training with Harry. That's the main reason he wants to be an Auror, after all. There's no way he'd go into it without him."

"I suppose you're right." Hermione sighed, perching on the counter and eyeing the pile of precariously stacked boxes carefully. "But…" She trailed off, not wanting to say what was on her mind which would no doubt upset Ginny further. How long _would_ Harry be gone, and could they all wait that long?

"Oh!" Ginny said suddenly, remembering. "I got a letter from Harry today!"

Hermione almost slipped off the counter. "_What_?" She shrieked, jumping down and staring at her friend in shock. "A proper one? Not just one that says 'Don't worry, I'm fine. Harry.'?"

"A proper one." Ginny confirmed. "He says he doesn't know when he'll be back, but that he's safe." She couldn't help the smirk that slid over her face. "He also said that it didn't matter if he wasn't because he took down Voldy and would be able to handle a couple of Death Eaters."

Hermione looked horrified. "He didn't!" She gasped. "Ginny, if that letter had been intercepted – that's just an _invitation_ for him to get attacked!"

"Well, it wasn't, so it's fine. He didn't say where he was, anyway." Ginny shrugged. "He also said – he's dealing, he's sorry, oh, and that if Ron hurt you then he would hex him from all the way – well, wherever he is."

The dark-haired eighteen-year-old flushed, looking sad. "Oh." She said in a small voice, not sure what else to say. "How – are you okay?"

Ginny lifted her shoulders into another smaller shrug. "I've been better." She admitted. "But he said a lot of other stuff in the letter, and – well, he doesn't want me to be unhappy, so I'm – I'll try. It's not going to be easy, and the best way to do it would be to just put him out of my mind, which I don't particularly want to do, but – if it's what he wants." A flicker of pain showed in her brown eyes. "I'll try." She repeated softly, as Hermione drew her into a warm hug.

**V I V I V**

Hermione stared after her boyfriend's retreating back with a mouth wide open, unable to believe what had just happened. She and Ginny had returned from the shop just in time for dinner; the rest of the family were already seated and helping themselves to the curry that Molly had cooked. As dessert was being served, Ginny had turned to the twins and asked if they minded if Hermione helped out for the summer. Fred and George had heartily agreed, always thankful for the help, while Ron had stared at Hermione through large, wounded eyes.

"When were you planning on telling me this?" He had demanded, scraping his chair back and standing up with a glare at Hermione and Ginny. The rest of the Weasleys had looked elsewhere uncomfortably, able to predict what was about to happen. Sure enough, before Hermione could defend herself, he had yelled incoherently for several moments before turning on his heel and storming up to his bedroom.

There was an uncomfortable silence for several moments before Hermione quietly excused herself from the table, struggling to hide her fury. Taking the stairs two at a time, she pounded hard on Ron's bedroom door and pushed it open before waiting for an answer. He glared at her from where he stood at the bedroom window, folding his arms across his chest.

"What the hell was that?" Hermione asked in a low, dangerous voice. "Would you care to explain to me why you just acted like a five year old in front of your entire family?"

Ron drew himself up to his full height, eyes flashing. "Am I not good enough for you to spend the summer with, is that it?" He demanded, ignoring her own question. "You'd rather spend it with my sister than me?"

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. "Would you listen to yourself? It's not a matter of who I'd rather spend the summer with but who needs me more. And at the moment, I'm sorry, but I'd rather that you were alone than Ginny because, for crying out loud, it's _killing _her!"

Ron looked faintly sick. "What?"

"Look." Hermione said impatiently. "We've already decided that we're going to get a flat once I've found a job and you've started training. There's plenty of time for us to be together _alone_ then. I'm sorry that your pride is wounded because you have to spend three weeks with no one but your mother, but Ginny _needs _me." She sank down onto his bed, running a weary hand through her tangled brown locks. "She was the one that asked me if I wanted to help her with the shop. I just couldn't say no. I can't leave her to spend the entire summer working alone. She misses Harry, and without anyone to distract her from her thoughts, she'll just end up…" Hermione paused, looking stricken. "I don't know. But it won't be good. We all need to do our best to take her mind off him. She said it herself; she's going to try and put him out of her mind as best as she can, but she can't do it alone."

Ron sat down next to her, all his anger ebbing out of him, and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Okay." He said softly. "I see – I'm sorry. I understand. I'll – if that's what's best for Ginny then… okay."

She smiled up at him tearfully. "Sorry for yelling." She said in sorrowed tones. "And not telling you before Ginny asked the twins, but there wasn't really time. Believe me, I'd love to spend the summer with just you, but… you know, just because the war's over doesn't mean everything's going to be fine straight away. Everyone needs to adjust."

Ron nodded, looking far older than his eighteen years. "You're right." He said. "We've got plenty of time. Three weeks is nothing. And we have the evenings, and Sundays."

"Exactly." Hermione said with a warm smile, as Ron bent his head to hers and drew her into a soft, apologetic kiss. Pulling away moments later, he rested his forehead against hers, noting her struggle to hold back her tears. He touched her cheek gently.

"What is it?"

"I just – it's frustrating, that's all." Hermione said with a sigh. "I want to throttle Harry for what he's doing to Ginny, but… we don't know how he's reacting to all of this, and it scares me a little."

"Me too." Ron said softly. "There's nothing we can do but wait for him though."

Hermione let out a bitter laugh. "How long?" She asked, almost to herself. "How long will we all have to wait?"

"I don't know." Ron replied honestly. "But I'm willing to wait as long as it takes, and I think Ginny and Mum are as well."

"And me." Hermione echoed, resting her head against his shoulder. "And me."


	3. Adjusting

**Title: **Losing Faith

**Summary: **It's the summer after Ginny's sixth year, and Voldemort is dead. But still, things are not how they should be. How will everyone cope now that the worst threat is over? HG RHr

**Genre: **Romance/Drama

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **It's all JK Rowling's. 'Nuff said.

**A/N: **Apologies for the delay – I do hope to update this frequently, this was a one off, I hope. My internet connection was cut off for a while which was very frustrating but at least Word was still working so I could carry on with the fan fiction, even if I couldn't post it! Thank you all for the reviews – and _Jubexchix_, I've planned this to be about thirteen chapters long give or take a few, and I'm also hoping to do a prologue/sequel/epilogue or something to that effect. grin This is definitely the longest chapter yet – and they'll probably get longer!

**V I V I V**

_**ADJUSTING**_

Ginny was awoken rather rudely early the next morning by a weight pressing down on her legs, disappearing for several seconds and then appearing again, as if someone were bouncing on her. Peering through half-closed lids, she only briefly caught a glimpse of Hermione looking both excited and frustrated at Ginny's lack of movement before pulling her covers over her face in desperation.

"Come on, up, up you get!" Hermione trilled cheerfully, yanking the duvet back down and beaming. Groaning, Ginny tried to reach once again for her blanket, but Hermione was not to back down, and had leapt off the bed, taking the bedcovers with her. "Nope – it's time for us to get to work, Ginny, you have to get up or you'll be late!"

"You are entirely too happy for so early." Ginny grumbled in response, flopping over onto her stomach and burying her head under her pillow in a vain attempt to get her temporary roommate to leave her alone. Peace was not to be had, however, for the pillow was the next thing to be taken from Ginny's haven. Suspecting that if she didn't move, Hermione would grab her by the ankles and drag her out kicking and screaming, Ginny sat up, sending her most vicious glare at the excited eighteen-year-old. "All right, I'm up." She mumbled, sliding off the bed reluctantly. "I'll get you back for this, Hermione Granger, I swear."

"You don't want to be late for your first day." Hermione replied, either not noticing or ignoring the strange look she was receiving from the younger girl.

"Actually, it's not my first day. It's _your_ first day."

"Tuh. Well, you shouldn't be late, full stop. It's not professional." Hermione amended, smoothing the duvet back over Ginny's bed as the latter headed for the bathroom with slow, dragging steps. She had made her friend's bed and managed to tidy up the bedroom, which had clothes and all sorts of odds and ends strewn across it even after only two days of having returned home, before Ginny emerged, clad in the hated robes and struggling to plait her long hair neatly.

"Good, you're ready." Hermione knelt down next to her trunk, throwing the lid open and rifling through piles of parchment for a few moments. "We can go over my schedule during breakfast – I'd rather not waste any time, we want to get the shop open as soon as possible to gain maximum profit. It's unfortunate that the twins decided to start the shop now, right in the middle of peak season – if they had decided on a month earlier, that would have been timed just perfectly."

The pair descended the winding, rickety staircase, Ginny staring at Hermione's back blankly. "What did you just say?" She asked in confusion. "I only heard breakfast."

"_Honestly_!" Hermione sniffed. "You're as bad as your brother. I said that, while we're having breakfast, I'd like us to go over my schedule."

"Nope." Ginny refused steadfastly, shaking her head. "Breakfast is for eating, relaxing, me time. Not work, or schedule-type things. Sorry, but we leave the work at the store. Feel free to go over your schedule by yourself, though." She added in a hopeful attempt to get Hermione to let her to eat her breakfast in peace. Her mother, who was already setting plates of toast and scrambled eggs on the table, struggled to hide her amusement at the two girls. They were so utterly different, yet always managed to get on so well.

"Well, I know the schedule off by heart, so there's very little point in me going over it again." Hermione insisted, thanking Molly as she sat herself down in front of a generous helping of toast and egg. "I'd really rather get started straight away…"

"Work is meant for the office, not the home." Ginny intoned seriously. "Later, Hermione." Noticing that her friend was not about to give up quite so easily, she reached across the table, snatched up a piece of toast and stuffed it into Hermione's mouth, just opened to give a retort.

"Ginevra Weasley!" Molly scolded, brandishing her wand threateningly. "That is not a fine way to treat our guests!"

"Oh, Mum." Ginny looked as if she were on the verge of pouting. "Hermione's not a _guest_. We're supposed to be nice to guests, and offer them towels and tea. Oh, and show baby photographs. None of that has happened yet – although showing Hermione baby photos of Ron is _not_ a bad idea." Her eyes twinkled wickedly.

"That's enough." Molly continued sternly as she poured out mugs of coffee for the three of them. "Hermione is a guest and you will treat her as such – and do we shove food into our guests mouths when they are about to speak?"

"No, Mum." Ginny replied obediently, lowering her head and smirking into her breakfast. "My sincerest apologies are given to you, Miss Granger, for any misconduct that I might have shown. I do hope that you will find it in your heart to forgive me and will wish to return to the Burrow at some point despite my rudeness."

There was a long silence as her words sank in; Molly looked thunderstruck, Hermione torn between being gob smacked and highly amused. "Um – oh, that's all right, _Ginevra_." She said after a pause, returning the smirk at the dull flush that spread across Ginny's face.

"Ginny…" Molly started warningly, and hastily, the redhead leapt to her feet, almost toppling her chair.

"Would you look at that – I'm not hungry anymore. Come on, Hermione, time for work – no need to dawdle, hurry now!" Before Molly could scold any further, the floo powder had hurriedly been thrown into the fireplace and Ginny was gone from sight, her voice having only just faded away.

"I am sorry, dear." Molly said apologetically, as Hermione clambered up, holding her precious schedule to her chest. "There's no telling what she's going to up and say recently."

"It's fine; I know she was only teasing." Hermione replied, stepping towards the fireplace. "Thank you for the breakfast, Mrs Weasley."

"About that…" Molly said quickly before Hermione could throw the pinch of powder into the grate. "Dear, you and Harry are adults now and you've both known our family for years – isn't it about time that you started calling Arthur and I by our actual names?"

It was Hermione's turn to flush, and she looked unsure for several moments before a grateful smile spread over her face. "I'd like that – thank you, Mrs – I mean, Molly." The name twisted strangely on her lips and she gave a rather un-Hermione-like giggle. "I think it may take a little getting used to though."

"Fair enough." Molly beamed, delighted at how her son's girlfriend took her suggestion. "Now go, and have a good day."

Hermione arrived at the Hogsmeade store to see, with horror, that boxes were strewn in every available piece of floor space, many torn open with their contents spilling out. "What happened?" She gasped, appearing in the doorway to the main shop to see Ginny perched on the counter, swinging her legs as she waited impatiently for Hermione. Her face creased into a frown at the older girl's question.

"What happened with what?"

"_This_!" Hermione waved an arm around her frantically. Ginny continued to look bemused. "Oh, for heaven's sakes – there's no orderly system to it all – everything's _everywhere_. What have you been doing?"

"We were testing products." Ginny replied with a shrug. "And then I took inventory. I had to open the boxes."

"And just put them back in any old order, so there's no way of knowing if you've done that box or not?" Hermione demanded, looking on the verge of hyperventilating. "This is not in my schedule, Ginny – we're going to get so far behind!"

"Would you _stop_ with the bloody schedule?" Ginny demanded, sounding uncannily like Ron. "We don't need a schedule."

"It's a good thing to be well organised, you know." Hermione retorted with a sniff, placing the large piece of parchment down on the counter and, tugging a quill out from her bag, making hasty alterations to it. "There; we'll only be behind by about a day, maybe even less if we stay late and…"

"No, no." Ginny interrupted, shaking her head fervently. "Look, Hermione, I know that you're looking forward to working here, and I know that you're taking it seriously – and that I should too – well, I am, but I'm not going to become a workaholic like Percy. I'm finishing at five o'clock every afternoon and that's final. This _is_ my summer holidays, whether I've agreed to work through it or not."

Hermione sighed. "Okay, I suppose you're right – but please, can we get started now?"

"Sure." Ginny replied, cheerful again as she hopped down from the counter and peered over her friend's shoulder at the schedule. "What are we doing today, then?"

"Well, I've taken into consideration our weaknesses and our qualities." Hermione said, pointing to the multicoloured blocks scattered across the page that, to Ginny, simply seemed like a nice pattern. "You, obviously, cannot use magic for another fortnight, so I've tried to assign you all the more practical jobs that don't need magic to be done."

"Like what?" Ginny asked curiously, backing away as Hermione waved an impatient hand in the vague direction of her.

"Not now. I know that you're not too keen on math, and I know a few handy spells to help me with the finance, so that is what I'll be doing. Now, I got this off the twins." She held up a strange contraption. "It's a Muggle pricing machine – they use it for all their products, simply because it's easier."

"What does it do?" Ginny asked in fascination, taking the machine out of Hermione's grasp and rolling it over her hands.

"Basically, it spits out a special marker type thing for each individual product – they're stuck onto the product and when you wave your wand over it, the price and product will appear on the till. It's been a bit modified by wizards to suit us better, but for once they actually thought that a Muggle contraption was a good idea, so they advanced it."

To demonstrate, Hermione picked up a box of modified Chocolate Frogs – ones that didn't stop jumping until they got all the way down to the stomach – tapped the product number into the keypad on the machine and watched with satisfaction as a bar code was spat out onto the box.

"Cool." Ginny stated, snatching it away again. "Let me try."

"It's not a _toy_." Hermione said, to no effect; Ginny had a range of products in her arms and was happily tapping in the numbers as fast as she could. "Okay. Well, I put you down for that job anyway, so that's all right. But – Ginny, _listen_ – don't just go doing any random item and then shove it back, because you'll forget which ones you've priced. Do one type of product at a time, and when you've done it, put them all in empty boxes and label them."

"Fine, fine." Ginny said, setting the machine down on the counter reluctantly and tipping the products back into the box. "What else needs to be done?"

"I thought that you would like to be doing the presentational side of things." Hermione replied. "Once the shelves are set up, you can arrange them how you see fit, and put the newest range of products on a stand in the window. Obviously that won't be done until we've priced everything up and so forth."

"What are _you_ going to be doing?" Ginny queried suddenly, walking back to take another look at the beloved schedule. "Finances, what else?"

"I'll be sorting out the stock room." Hermione said. "Keeping back a certain amount of products and putting them on the shelves in there – and keeping count of what have been taken out and what is left – it's all organisation."

"Yes, I gathered that." Ginny retorted dryly. "Can we start now?"

Hermione sighed. "So impatient." She murmured, though her face held a soft smile. "All right – yes, I think that's all for now."

Ginny let out a low whoop and made towards the boxes before stopping and staring in dismay. "But – look at it all. How am I supposed to know what's in which box? Everything's _everywhere_!"

Hermione resisted the urge to say 'I told you so', though she couldn't help the amused snigger that escaped her mouth at how much Ginny sounded as she had done when she had first arrived. "You'll find a way." She said finally, ignoring the horrified look the redhead was giving her, and turned to look at the pile of papers that Fred and George had left behind the day before.

**V I V I V**

"_Will you stand still? You're making me dizzy." Ron complained as Ginny paced up and down the hall, struggling to hold back the tears. "Ginny, there's nothing we can do but wait – you need to calm down."_

"_I'm calm." Ginny replied in a strangled voice that sounded most unlike her own. "I just – wanted some exercise. So I'm pacing. It's a good stress reliever too; you should try it some time." She realised vaguely that she was babbling and probably making no sense, but couldn't bring herself to care._

"_I get it." Ron said lowly. "I know you're worried. I am too. But – this isn't _helping_. You're just going to get yourself even more worked up." He paused. "We can help. We can get first aid stuff for any of the Order members that are injured and brought back here, and make tea. Or something. Just – anything."_

"_Okay. Right. Yes, I can do that." Ginny murmured, following her brother into the kitchen and standing helplessly as he motioned his wand towards the kettle, filling it with water and hovering it above the fire. "I just – I want it to be over, Ron."_

_He paused, turning to glance at her. "We all do." He said finally, softly._

"_No, but – it's just not fair. How many more times can he face You-Know-Who, before… before something really awful happens? He's been really lucky so far, Ron."_

"_Lucky?" Ron repeated incredulously. "Lucky in that his parents were murdered and he was sent to the most unloving bloody Muggles ever? Or that his godfather was killed because of a trap that Harry fell into? Or what about Cedric Diggory – do you not remember how torn up Harry was over Cedric's death? And the prophecy, and…"_

"_I _get _that." Ginny returned furiously, interrupting before Ron could really go off on a rampage. "I meant that he's lucky because he's _alive_. I know how awful it is that all these things have happened to him, but – he's survived it. He can survive that. But eventually, You-Know-Who is going to get sick and tired of always chasing after him and he's going to manage to finish it for good." She paused, swallowing thickly. "What if that's today?"_

"_And it could be." Ron said slowly, ignoring the strangled cry from his sister. "But you know as well as I that Harry is equally sick and tired of _being_ chased, and he's going to want to finish it as well." He paused meaningfully. "And that could be today."_

_Ginny pressed a hand to her mouth, her heart thumping hard, feeling as if she were going to be sick. Before she could say another word, there was the sound of the fireplace unsealing itself and the 'whooshing' sound of someone stumbling through the fireplace. Then there was a grunt as the person hit the floor, and several curse words in a voice that could only have belonged to one person._

"Ginny!"

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Ginny looked up from where she was sat, cross-legged, in front of her third box, machine in hand, and saw Hermione bent over her, a concerned look on her face.

"Sorry, Hermione – daydreaming, I think." Ginny flushed, waiting for the berating that never came. To her surprise, Hermione was shaking her head, her brow creased into a frown. "What?"

"You weren't daydreaming." Hermione said slowly, sitting down opposite and resting her back against the wall. "I mean, I thought you were at first – you were just staring into space and not doing anything – but then – I tried to get your attention for _ages_, Ginny, you just didn't hear me. It must have been about five minutes."

"Five minutes?" Ginny repeated incredulously. "No – really?"

Hermione nodded anxiously, looking as if she wanted to say more; Ginny returned the frown, recognising the look.

"What aren't you saying?"

"Well – you – you were sort of – muttering stuff." Hermione said slowly. "I couldn't make some of it out. But I think you said something like 'I'm calm' and then you were talking about things not being fair, and you wanting it to be over…" She hesitated at the shocked look she was receiving. "What – what happened?"

For a moment, Ginny seriously contemplated telling Hermione the truth, then realised that all she would receive was a look of pity and concern and probably a long, tiring discussion about the events that she really did not want to have. So she lifted her shoulders into a slight shrug, doing her best to look confused.

"I don't remember."

Hermione didn't look convinced. "Ginny – this isn't _normal_."

"Why, thank you." Ginny retorted sarcastically, her bad temper from waking up at that ungodly hour returning in full swing.

"No, I mean – you completely blanked, and for that long – and were saying that stuff – maybe you should see a Healer."

"I am fine." Ginny said heatedly, folding her arms and avoiding Hermione's piercing gaze. "Probably not enough sleep or something. Nothing to worry about."

"But it _is_ – you really scared me." Hermione insisted. "I didn't know what to do."

"Well, that has to be a first." Ginny returned bitingly before she could stop herself. Hermione drew back, letting out a hiss of breath between her teeth, looking hurt. Sighing, Ginny forced herself to meet brown eyes. "Look, I'm sorry, but please stop _pestering_."

"I'm just concerned, that's all."

"Well, you have no need to be. I'm fine. See." She spread her arms wide. "All here, sane and completely healthy. So can we get back to work, please?"

Once again Hermione looked as if she didn't want to give up the discussion; the glare Ginny was giving her made her falter and, with a roll of her eyes, she clambered to her feet. "Fine." She returned hotly. "Excuse me for being concerned about a friend."

Ginny rolled her own eyes in response and turned back to the machine, tracing a finger over the product number on the box and tapping it carefully into the keypad. A less comfortable silence descended, Hermione still smarting from Ginny's snide comment and Ginny irritated by Hermione's interference, fleetingly wondering why exactly she had asked the brunette to help out with the store.

The conscience inside her head told her that Hermione _was_ simply concerned and wanting to help, but Ginny had just about had enough of people tiptoeing around her and jumping to her rescue if she so much as tripped, as if she were going to break if a feather fell on her. Suddenly cross all over again, Ginny jumped to her feet, the thick air stifling her. "I'm going for a walk." She said abruptly. "Do you want anything from anywhere?"

"I'll have a butterbeer, if that's all right." Hermione returned distractedly, fishing in her robes pocket for some money and handing it over. "Thanks. Don't be too long, we still have to stick to the schedule."

Ginny only just managed to bite back another retort as she left the shop, closing the door firmly behind her and struggling to control herself. What was the _matter _with her? She thought back at the morning; Hermione's waking her up had annoyed her, but it was a tired grumpiness, which soon passed once she had a mug of coffee in front of her. She decided, smirking, that it had probably been the coffee that had suddenly sent her bouncing off the ceiling and baiting her mother to no end. And now here she was, snapping Hermione's head off and feeling as if she wanted to hit someone very hard. Taking in a deep breath, she shoved her hands into her robes pockets and striding, head down, along the main street.

"Ginny?"

Startled, Ginny turned to see herself looking straight into the face of her old friend and her brother's ex-dorm mate Neville Longbottom, grinning widely.

"Neville!" She let out a girlish squeal and hugged him around the neck, ignoring the embarrassed flush that had immediately spread across his face. "How are you? What have you been up to? Having a good summer?"

They both laughed at her stream of questions, Ginny realising idly that she no longer felt like hitting her head – or someone else's – against a hard brick wall. "In answer to those, good, not much and yes." Neville returned, falling into step beside her. "What about you?"

"The twins have bought a place in Hogsmeade for a second Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes; Hermione and I have been appointed to prepare it for opening, so we're working there this summer." Ginny plucked at her magenta robes, pulling a face. "Which explains these – I don't wear them for fun, you know!" She motioned to the Three Broomsticks. "Hermione wanted a butterbeer – have you somewhere to go or can you stay for a drink?"

"I can stay – I was just – well." Neville stammered as they stepped into the dimly lit pub. "I mean, I'm not here for any particular reason – just… taking a look around."

"Is it the first time you've been back since it happened?" Ginny asked carefully, not needing to explain what _it_ was. Neville nodded, slipping onto a stool at the bar counter and ordering three butterbeers, twisting his hands together nervously as he tried to think of something to say.

"I didn't particularly want to come back and find that it was all still in ruins, you know? That – I don't think I could have handled that."

"I know. I only saw it for the first time since it happened yesterday – it was sort of a relief to see everything all restored, but I don't like how unfamiliar it looks. All the new buildings."

She took a swig of her butterbeer and stared over Neville's shoulder out the window at the bustling street. "It will take some getting used to." She said finally, not liking the silence. Neville nodded again in agreement, turning his bottle around distractedly.

"How is everyone?"

"Everyone? Well, I can't speak for the entire wizarding world," Ginny joked, patting his arm to let him know she was kidding. "But my family are all good, as is Hermione. They're all I've seen so far this holiday. Have you seen anyone?"

"No." Neville shrugged. "I've had some letters from Dean and Seamus – they're both fine – I think they're getting a flat together." Ginny felt a pang of sorrow as she recognised the loneliness in her friend's eyes. He, like her, had always been one of the few in Hogwarts that had not had any close friends, simply mingled with whomever, and then she had found Harry and he had found Luna.

The only difference was that though Harry was gone, it was not for good, but Luna would never be coming back to quench Neville's loneliness. Swallowing the last of her butterbeer and snatching up Hermione's, Ginny grabbed Neville's hand.

"Come on. I want to show you something."

Since it was his first time in Hogsmeade since the attack, she didn't think that he would have seen the memorial before; sure enough, as they stepped up to the fountain, his face registered confusion.

"What are we doing here, Ginny?"

"Look." Ginny said simply, pointing at the massive silver-plated plaque at their feet. There were so many names, but Luna's sprung out instantly to both of them.

Kneeling down, Neville drank in the words, trembling. "Oh." He said finally, softly, and looked up at her, a genuine smile on his face. "I think that she would have liked that."

Ginny nodded, resting her hand on his shoulder as they stared down at the names for a few more moments. "She won't be forgotten." She said finally, sadly, as she remembered the day they had been told of Luna's death. They had returned to Hogwarts the morning after the attack, where the mood was dark and sombre and filled with sorrow. She, Ron and Hermione had huddled in the Gryffindor common room, consciously aware of the many absences when Professor McGonagall had; her face grim and eyes filled with sadness.

"_Miss Weasley, Mr Weasley… Miss Granger." Their Head of House looked around the common room, practically empty save for two third years sat at one of the study tables, deep in their own depressing thoughts. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."_

_Ginny's first thoughts were that Harry hadn't survived, despite the fact that she had just _seen _him the day before, and she pressed her hands to her mouth, the tears already forming behind her lids. Her brother and his girlfriend said nothing, simply waited with their breath held._

_Professor McGonagall seemed lost for words as she pressed the tips of her fingers to the bridge of her nose. "Miss Lovegood…" She said finally, her grey eyes flickering from one face to another. "I'm sorry to say that she was killed in the attack last night."_

_And there was that numbness that Ginny was just trying to get used to. _Luna_. After the adventures in Ginny's fourth year, Luna had undoubtedly become one of them, as had Neville. Everything seemed so much lonely with only three there instead of the six that should have been._

_The six that would never be again._

Feeling the tears springing to her eyes, Ginny swiped them away hastily before Neville could notice them, and squeezed his shoulder gently. He got to his feet carefully, with that aching slowness that had not faded since the attack that had changed all their lives, and turned to give her a grateful smile. Then he asked the dreaded question.

"Have you heard from Harry?"

"Yes." Ginny said quickly, surprised at her own shortness, though Neville's expression did not change. "He's not sure when he'll be back. But – well, we're giving him the time and space." She turned and started walking back towards the Hogsmeade store, Neville falling into step beside her. "I think he'll be okay."

Neville nodded firmly. "He will." He agreed. "Eventually." There was that wisdom again, the same look she had seen in Ron's eyes, and Hermione's, and especially in Harry's – all older before their time, because of one greedy man. She wondered briefly if she had the same look, then decided with a wry smile that she couldn't be _that_ wise, and dismissed it without a second thought.

"I'd better get back – Hermione will be having kittens if I don't stick to her precise schedule."

Neville laughed his short, quiet chuckle that had always made her smile, because she rarely heard it. "That sounds like Hermione." He agreed. "Do you think she'll mind if I stop in and say hello?"

"'Course not!" Ginny returned delightedly. "She'd love it – though I'd watch out, she might try and rope you into helping me." They were nearing the shop by this time, as she giggled and Neville broke into a fresh set of chuckles.

_Yes. _She suddenly thought, remembering Neville's words. _We'll all be okay, eventually._


	4. Dreaming

**Title: **Losing Faith

**Summary: **It's the summer after Ginny's sixth year, and Voldemort is dead. But still, things are not how they should be. How will everyone cope now that the worst threat is over? HG RHr

**Genre: **Angst/Drama

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **It's all JK Rowling's. 'Nuff said.

**A/N: **I know I said that I was hoping to update this more frequently, but I only just moved out of my parents' house and into a student flat last week, and started university to boot. So I've been a tad busy, I'm afraid, but am all settled now so onwards with the fanfiction! Thank you kindly for the reviews – _CaptainOats+PrincessSparkle, _I am planning to have some happy Harry/Ginny time but want to get the nitty-gritty details out the way and unfortunately that means some angst for poor Ginny first. Sorry, it has to be done!

On another note, after much contemplation I have changed this to Angst/Drama rather than Romance/Drama. It will still have romance in eventually but not enough to be classed as romance at present, and it is far too angsty to simply be a drama!

**V I V I V**

_**DREAMING**_

_Ron and Ginny exchanged startled looks before dashing from the kitchen in the direction of the noise. The fireplace had sealed itself back over by the time they had got to the doorway of the living room, and the newcomer was just getting to his feet with a pained grunt, brushing the dust off his clothes and resting one hand against the wall to steady himself. _

_Ginny swallowed down the mixture of relief, dismay and guilt that was rising up at the sight of her injured brother. "Fred…" She began in a shaking voice, barely able to talk around the lump in her throat. He shot her an unidentifiable look before lowering himself onto the couch, wincing. In an instant she was kneeling at his feet, struggling to push Harry to the back of her mind as she looked over her brother for injuries. "Where are you hurt?"_

"_Nothing serious." Fred said hollowly, waving a hand dismissively. "Just a bit bruised and battered." He glanced from Ron to Ginny. "Are you both all right?"_

"_F-fine." Ron stammered, frozen in the doorway. "What – what's happening out there?"_

_There was a long silence, as if Fred were trying to choose his words carefully – something he _never_ did – and it terrified both youngest Weasleys. "It's over." He said finally. "The Order and the Aurors are just – trying to help injured now."_

"_Over in what way?" Ron demanded. "Did You-Know-Who flee again? Or…" He turned a little green at the other few possibilities._

"_No, he didn't flee." Fred sighed heavily and Ginny felt a pang of sorrow – it seemed her brother had aged ten years in the past few hours. "Ron, Gin… he and Harry faced off."_

"_Ron said that Harry was heading in Voldemort's direction." Ginny said, startled at how steady and calm her voice was. "Who won?" _

"_We did." A new voice said, and Ginny spun around to see Fred's twin stepping out of the fireplace, looking weary and old but otherwise uninjured. "Voldemort's dead."_

"_Good." Ron said instantly, looking not ecstatic but simply relieved. _

_Ginny didn't know quite what she was feeling – there was the overwhelming sense of relief that it was, just as Fred had said, _over_, but concern for the members of her family that she had not yet seen, and would not stop worrying about until she saw each of them herself, and the nagging feeling that there was something the twins were not telling them. _

"_Something's wrong." She said, looking from one twin's face to the other. Fred carefully avoided her eye; George merely looked uncomfortable. "What is it?"_

"_It's not our place to say." George muttered._

"_Screw that!" Ron said loudly, his brow creased. "I don't care who tells me, just as long as you spit it out now."_

Hermione jerked awake to darkness, and lay there for a moment trying to recall why she had awoken. Silence aside from Ginny's heaving breathing greeted her, and she had started to drift back off to sleep again, relishing in the warmth of the bedcovers, when her eyes snapped wide open again. Ginny had started tossing and turning feverishly, murmuring unintelligible words under her breath. _Another nightmare_, Hermione realised with a sad sigh, and she left the warmth of her bed to move to her friend's side.

"Ginny… wake up, Ginny."

"_It's Harry."_

_The words echoed through Ginny's mind as she stared up at them through wide, terrified eyes. She had suspected, but silently pleaded that it wasn't, that surely he had been through enough. Surely he wasn't dead… he couldn't be. Not her Harry, not after everything…_

"_He's alive." George continued in a monotone. "But it doesn't look good."_

"_What do you mean?" Ron asked, his face tinged green and looking rather sick. _

"_The duel with Voldemort – he had to use a lot of magic and with the brother wands not working properly…" Fred said haltingly. "There was – a bit of a power overload. It was too much…" He exchanged a worried look with George. "It effectively made both Voldemort and Harry's bodies and minds… well, shut down."_

"_We thought – when we saw, we thought both of them were dead." George spoke up, seeing Fred couldn't continue. "But Harry was still breathing..." He stared down at his hands, twisting his fingers together. "So far he's been unresponsive… he's in a coma, and – well, they don't know if he'll wake up."_

_Ginny was vaguely aware of Ron stumbling from the room, unable to hear anymore. Fred was wrong. It wasn't over. Not by a long shot._

"_Ginny…" George knelt next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "If – when – if he does wake up, they're not sure whether he'll be… still Harry."_

Insanity_. That was what he meant, even if he didn't want to say it. Ginny crumpled into her brother's chest, sobbing, hating everything and everyone and desperately wondering when it would end – if it did._

Tears were streaming down Ginny's face as she stopped tossing around, and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as her eyes flickered open slowly. "Ginny?" She repeated, touching her arm gently. Startled, Ginny flinched away, scrambling into a sitting position still half-asleep. "It's just a nightmare." Hermione said in as soothing tone as she could. "It's okay. It's just me. You were having a nightmare."

Scrubbing at her wet face with the back of her hands, Ginny said nothing for a few moments, struggling to regain her composure. Hesitantly, the older girl perched on the edge of the bed, tracing her fingers across the pattern on the blanket. "It – it wasn't a nightmare." Ginny said finally, in a hoarse, choked voice. "I – it was when… when we were told what happened to Harry."

Hermione sucked in a long breath through her teeth. She had been at Hogwarts when the Death Eaters had attacked Hogsmeade, and so had not seen Ron or Ginny's reaction to the news, but understood that it could not have been good, and certainly not something that would be pleasant to be remembered.

"I don't understand," Ginny said suddenly, tearfully. "Why?"

"Why what?" Hermione felt her heart thumping in her chest; she had a feeling that, in her vulnerable state, her friend was on the verge of revealing why she had been acting strangely for so long. It was definitely more than aftermath of the attack, she was sure of that.

"I just – I don't know." Ginny sighed heavily. "I keep… I keep _remembering_." She tugged the blankets up to her chin, burying her nose in them and breathing in the clean, familiar scent. "The attack, what happened afterwards… all the bad things, they just keep coming back to me, and I – I can't _stand _it!"

Hermione felt her eyes sting with tears for her friend. "Oh, Ginny." She said softly, torn at the heart-broken look on the redhead's face, and placed a gentle hand on the latter's shoulder.

"It's driving me crazy." Ginny said hoarsely. "When – when I'm not having nightmares about it, they just keep popping up during the day, like… like flashbacks, or something. I'm reliving it all over again and I want it to _stop_!"

"Why don't you ask for some Dreamless Sleep potion?" Hermione suggested. "Maybe it will help."

"It won't help during the day, will it?" Ginny asked bitterly, sliding back down into a lying position. Hermione's heart sank; it seemed that Ginny had decided she did not want to share anymore information. "Go back to sleep, Hermione. I'm sorry for waking you up."

And before Hermione could protest, Ginny had turned her back and was facing the wall, pointedly signalling the end of the conversation.

**V I V I V**

"She had another nightmare." Hermione said to Ron Sunday morning as they sprawled under the large oak tree in the back garden, feeling slightly guilty but reminding herself that she had never promised Ginny she wasn't going to say anything to another member of the family. Ron's face creased into a concerned frown.

"Is she having them a lot? Since the attack…"

"I've not been woken up by them before." Hermione replied. "But – from the way she talked about them, they seem a regular thing. And – she says she's getting flashbacks of them during the day, as well."

"That's not normal." Ron said worriedly. "That's _definitely_ not normal."

Hermione shrugged, tears shining in her eyes. Seeing the distraught look on his girlfriend's face, Ron rested a reassuring arm over her shoulders, squeezing her to him. "I just – I hate feeling so helpless." She murmured into his neck, fighting to keep the tears at bay. "Sometimes it looks as if she's all right, and then, at other times… you can just see, _nothing _we can do or say will make things better. The only person that can is Harry, and we have no idea where he is."

"When I get my hands on him…" Ron growled, though his voice lacked the rage that should have been there. He felt Hermione shift against him.

"No. I mean – I want to be _so angry_ at him for how much he's put Ginny through, but how can I when I don't know how he's coping with all this?"

"We need to find him." Ron stated firmly. "I don't care whether he needs more time, or whether he wants to be found… damn it, my sister is nothing but a _shell_ of what she used to be – who would have thought a teenage romance would end up so – serious?"

"Are you kidding?" Hermione asked in hollow tones. "Ron… Ginny and Harry, this isn't a teenage romance. Don't you get it? If it hadn't been for Harry, then Ginny would not still be here today. If it weren't for Ginny, Harry would have never rebounded from the attack as quickly as he did."

"Rebounded?" Ron gaped at her. "He's not rebounded at _all _– he's still caught right in the middle of it, and so is Ginny, and…"

"He came out of the coma, didn't he?" Hermione snapped. "After we were told for so long that he wouldn't be the same Harry we always knew, that we shouldn't have hope because there was a bare minimum chance, didn't he come back?"

"No." Ron's eyes flashed. "He didn't, Hermione. I know that Harry was always quite – serious, thanks to those Muggle relatives – and he had that 'saving people thing', but this is really taking it to the extreme. He seems to think that we'll be better off without him around. That's not saving us, that's pure insanity. He's not serious, he's bloody _depressed_ – it's not Harry, don't you get it?"

"And Ginny is not Ginny anymore." Hermione finished off. "They are two amazing people without each other, but they've learned what they're like together, and to be forced apart… they're just not trying. Well, Ginny isn't. She's simply waiting. She's waiting for him to return, because she _loves_ him." Her dark eyes penetrated into Ron's blue ones. "What if it were reversed roles? What if it were you and I instead of Harry and Ginny?"

Ron paused to think it over, a cold feeling gripping his insides. He imagined being away from Hermione, against his own better judgement, simply because he thought it better for everyone else. He imagined being away from the rest of his family, where even after Lord Voldemort's death his life was not spent as he longed it to be. Months of being alone after having been alone for so long – endless summers with the Dursleys, and then there were those ten years before that… it was certainly something that Harry was used to and never complained about yet evidently hated.

He gave a shudder and unconsciously tightened his grasp on Hermione. "I'd hate it." He said hoarsely. "But – I'd do the same, because after… after his parents, and Cedric, and Sirius, and Luna… it's no wonder he thinks he's better off away from us." His brow creased into a frown. "But – Voldemort's _dead_. The Death Eaters have all been killed or sent to Azkaban. We're not at war anymore, and we're not under threat."

"I don't think he quite believes it yet." Hermione replied softly. "After all, what have the past seven years been all about? Voldemort. Even when we thought Voldemort was dead, or at least fallen, he kept popping up – I think Harry still expects him to at any point."

Ron kicked his heels against the soft turf. "I hate this." He muttered viciously. "Whatever happened to the celebrations that should have been taking place after we won? Bloody Voldemort. Even after he's dead he's still haunting us."

Hermione silently agreed, wondering sadly what had happened to the meagre conversations she, Ron and Harry had had over the years and strangely longing for that time when she had wished she could, for once, have a serious conversation with Ron. No more was it complaining about homework, or Professor Snape, or excited chatter about Quidditch. Long gone were the few years when their adventures had been just that – thrilling, daring adventures.

At the peak of the war, and the final demise of the Lord Voldemort, Harry had withdrawn into himself, Ron had stopped baiting her (oh, how she missed that), and Ginny's eyes had stopped twinkling. They were no longer children, several years before their time.

Depressed all over again, Hermione rested her head on Ron's shoulder, struggling to bring the topic to a lighter point. "When do you start Auror training?" She settled for at last, pulling a face at her own question.

"January – just after the New Year." Ron replied. "I think I'll get a job after the summer finishes for the few months before Christmas – I'd like to actually be earning." He nudged her gently. "Have you chosen out of your hundreds of job acceptances yet?" He teased. She blushed furiously.

"I – I think I have."

"_What_?" Ron sat bolt upright, jolting Hermione off him and almost sending her flying. "When did you decide that? Why didn't you tell me? What is it?"

"I've only been seriously thinking about it over the past few days; I haven't even replied to tell them I accept yet." Hermione explained. "Professor Flitwick – he's retiring next year, so I'm going to be an assistant to him this year and then take over as Professor once he leaves Hogwarts."

Ron gaped at her. "You really must love that place to want to spend the rest of your life there." He said, awed. "I don't know why I'm surprised, though – Professor Hermione Granger, eventual Head of Gryffindor, Charms extraordinaire, and fancied by all the blokes."

Her flush deepened. "_Ron_!"

Chuckling, he bent his head to hers, rubbing their noses together fondly. "I can picture you as a Professor." He said softly. "You'll love it."

"I hope so." Hermione replied, smiling at the thought of returning to the school where she had truly found herself and the best friends she could ever have wished for. They lapsed into a comfortable silence, Ron absent-mindedly twirling a strand of Hermione's thick brown hair around his finger as she leant into him, daydreaming of the better days.

**V I V I V**

Running her hands through her tangled, greasy locks, Ginny glared at the bedroom wall, torn between wanting to curl back under her warm covers and the worry that the nightmare would return. She settled for wrapping the thick duvet around her shoulders and sitting cross-legged on the end of the bed, staring out the window at the lane that led down to the village. The sunshine, which usually brightened her mood, was somehow making her feel even more depressed and she yanked the curtains back over the window, relishing in the comfort of the dark and quiet.

This was, of course, abruptly ruined by her brother and Hermione bursting into the room.

"Bloody hell, Gin!" Ron swore as he stopped and stared in surprise. "It's three in the afternoon!"

"It's also Sunday." Ginny retorted pointedly; their one day off in the week, and the day she intended to spend lazing around, sleeping, eating and doing all the things she really enjoyed. "Have you ever heard of knocking?"

"Why is it so dark in here?" Hermione murmured, ignoring the siblings as she crossed to the window and pulled back the curtains that Ginny had only just closed. Bright light swarmed into the room, making all three of them wince.

Crossing her arms, Ginny tapped her bare foot against the floorboards. "What was so important that the two of you decided it would be all right for you to burst in without knocking?"

"Ginny, Hermione's staying in this room." Ron reminded her. "Do you knock on your own bedroom at Grimmauld Place just because you share with Hermione?"

Rolling her eyes, Ginny said nothing.

"Ron and I are going into the village." Hermione said at length. "The summer festival was on all week, and today is the final day – are you coming?"

Ginny hesitated; the summer festival that was traditionally held in Ottery St. Catchpole was something that she had loved going to as a child and even as a teenager. Full of bright colours, dancing and magic, wizards and witches alike spent the week of the holiday gathering together to play games, take part in competitions and buy useless objects off stalls.

It was ever so slightly tacky, which was probably why Ginny and Ron loved it so much. Harry had come with them the previous year, and having never been to such a thing magical or Muggle, was absolutely enthralled by the whole thing.

Suddenly Ginny wasn't sure she wanted to spend the afternoon around all the merry, drunken wizarding folk.

"I don't think so." She muttered. "Thanks, anyway."

Ron looked disappointed. "Ginny – did you not hear Hermione? It's the _final day._ You've not missed the summer festival since… well; I can't remember us ever not going! You can't break the tradition!"

"I'm not really in the mood, Ron."

"You will be once you get there." Ron insisted, tugging the blanket away from Ginny's shoulders. "_Please_, Ginny – get dressed and we'll meet you downstairs in fifteen minutes, okay?"

"We're not taking no for an answer." Hermione added. Heaving an exaggerated sigh, Ginny felt a smile twitch at the corner of her mouth as she finally nodded in agreement.

"Okay, fifteen minutes. Now, shoo!"

Half an hour later saw Hermione, Ron and Ginny strolling along the wide, paved streets of Ottery St. Catchpole, continuously looking in all directions to take in the hustle and bustle of the weekend afternoon. Primarily a wizarding village, the folk had no qualms about sending flower petals dancing into the air from their wands, or fountains of lemonade streaming down the street, and the excitement was contagious.

The children danced in circles, giggling happily as they tasted sweets from the Honeydukes stall and bought pranks from the Zonko's table just along from the cathedral. Ginny watched with a fond smile as a young brother and sister trotted after their parents' hand-in-hand, a glorious reminder of herself and Ron when they were small. Several students of Hogwarts moved along at a slow pace, chatting eagerly and basking in the sunlight.

"Ginny! They've brought it back!" Ron yelled suddenly in delight, pointing in the direction of one of the games stalls where a wizard was shouting something unintelligible out. One of her and her brother's favourite games in the festival when they were little, which they had not played in years, was back in action. With a squeal, Ginny grabbed Ron's hand and dragged him towards the stall, eagerly fishing out the sickle to play the game that had been developed from the Muggle 'three-legged-race'.

Magical binds connected Ginny's left side to Ron's right, and she gave him a laughing smile as they stumbled off at the shrill whistle that emitted from the wizard's wand. Much older than the rest of the competitors, it was a surprise that the Weasley children fell into the last place quite quickly, tripping over and clinging to each other as they shrieked with mirth. Hermione, on the sidelines, was practically sprawled out on the ground and crying with laughter.

Only a few foot short of the line and well behind the rest of the seven and eight year olds, Ginny and Ron went down for the final time, sides aching with both laughter and the magical bind, and lay there in a similar state to Hermione.

Fleetingly, Ginny realised that she had not thought of Harry all afternoon, and instead of the guilt that usually swept over her when she was having fun, her smile only widened. _After all_, she thought with a sudden strike of realisation, _it's what he wants._

And so, the bind broken, she and Ron leapt to their feet and proceeded to drag Hermione in the direction of the lemonade fountains where they always danced, soaking wet and fizzing, among the rest of the giddy wizards and witches.

**V I V I V**

Phew! This was definitely the hardest chapter to write yet, and I'm still far from pleased with it, but there is no way I am starting it over. It was in fact started on the 14th of September – almost took me a month to write it! Update will hopefully be next week.


	5. Discussions

**Title: **Losing Faith

**Summary: **It's the summer after Ginny's sixth year, and Voldemort is dead. But still, things are not how they should be. How will everyone cope now that the worst threat is over? HG RHr

**Genre: **Angst/Drama

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **It's all JK Rowling's. 'Nuff said.

**A/N: **Just to make up for the long gap between chapter three and chapter four, here's another update, hurrah! Much thanks for the reviews, you all rock! hugs and beams The story's been sped up a bit now – I was getting rather sick of all the depression!

**V I V I V**

**_DISCUSSIONS_**

Ginny, fairly used to being woken up on weekdays by Hermione shaking her rudely or bouncing on her feet, naturally overslept the day after the older girl returned to her parents' home. Stumbling out of bed ten minutes before they were due to hold the grand opening of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, she only had time to run a brush through her hair and snatch up her bag before dashing for the fireplace.

"Ginny, _breakfast_!"

"Can't stop, Mum, I'm late." Ginny gasped, skidding to a halt and turning to see her mother staring at her, scandalised. "I'll get something in Hogsmeade, but I have to go now, we're supposed to open the shop today!"

Molly hesitated, looking torn between exasperation and delight. She settled for snatching up two warm, fresh bread rolls and tucking them into her daughter's robes pocket. "I'll be along to see the opening, dear." She said proudly, giving Ginny a gentle push towards the fireplace. "Are you going to do a speech?"

The redheaded sixteen-year-old rolled her eyes. "No, Mum – the twins probably will, I suppose. We've not really discussed it – Fred and George just said that Hermione and I get to cut the ribbon." She smiled widely, flexing her fingers, and waved over her shoulder to Molly before disappearing in a splutter of green sparks and a shout of "Hogsmeade Wheezes!"

Upon entering the store room of the shop, which was of course immaculate, Ginny instantly heard the Hermione's voice drifting in through the open door, frantic and irritated.

"Honestly, the first day that she has to come here without me, and she's _late_! If she misses the ceremony, how is that going to look – she's supposed to be manageress, for heaven's sakes! Would you _put those things away_, you're going to make an awful first impression."

"Contrary to what you might think, Hermione, we will make a splendid first impression – this is, after all, a joke shop, is it not? Who wants a fuddy duddy owner for a joke shop?"

"Evidently Hermione does." Ginny said with a grin, stepping behind the counter and resting her elbows on the surface, amused by the sight of the twins sword fighting – George with a headless rubber chicken and Fred with an umbrella that continued to bellow out tunelessly '_I'm singing in the rain!_'. Hermione paced not far from them, twisting her hands together and muttering unintelligible things under her breath. At the sound of Ginny, she spun around, plastering a glare on her face.

"Where have you been?"

"Sleeping." Ginny retorted, earning herself a snort from Fred and hearty applause from his twin, while Hermione had an expression on her face eerily similar to the one that Ginny's mother had given her just a few minutes before. Grinning cheekily, Ginny clapped her hands together. "It's almost nine o'clock – have you two got your speech ready?"

Fred and George exchanged equally blank looks. "Ginny, we don't _prepare_ our speeches."

"Spontaneity is successful." George intoned.

"Improvisation is – I can't think of another word beginning with 'I', but I know that it's damn good." Fred added. Their sister giggled.

Stepping out onto the street, blinking against the bright daylight, Ginny was astounded to see that a crowd was already gathering, expressing their excitement at another Wizarding Wheezes opening up in England. She knew that the twins were popular for their work amongst Hogwarts students but the people standing before them were of ages ranging from five years old to a few wizards and witches probably as old as Albus Dumbledore.

"Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, wizards and witches!" Fred announced, his voice magically amplified, as Hermione set to adjusting the red ribbon attached to the doorframe.

"I'm sure many of you are thinking 'How can there be two Weasley Wizarding Wheezes stores on the opposite sides of the country to each other when there are only two of us?" George added, spreading his arms wide and grinning.

"With each Weasley Wizarding Wheezes store comes two brand new Weasleys – that's right, ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, wizards and witches, we have discovered how to clone!"

The crowd, that had remained silent up until that point, fell into curious and confused murmurings. Ginny and Hermione exchanged exasperated looks; it was obvious that the twins would never learn to be serious.

"Just kidding, dear fans." George intervened. "We weren't lying about the brand new Weasleys though – with the Hogsmeade store comes our dear sister, Miss Ginny, and sister-to-be, Miss Hermione!"

Hermione's jaw literally dropped in horror as Ginny burst into hysterical giggles. Near the front of the crowd, Molly's smile stretched from cheek to cheek and Ron looked as horrified as Hermione.

"Of course you will find all that you would get in our Diagon Alley shop here, plus several brand new products released a week in advance that will _only_ be found in this nice building behind us – if you look hard enough." Fred continued. "Without further ado…"

"Or nonsense babbling as my brother does like to go on…" George interrupted.

"Miss Ginny and Miss Hermione will now officially open the second in our line of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes!"

Grasping one handle of the scissors, Ginny struggled to hold back further giggles as Hermione shot the twins a death glare before lowering the scissors to the ribbon.

"_What are you doing here?" Ginny asked blankly, her heart thumping in her throat as she met Ron, Hermione and Neville by the gargoyle at the entrance to the headmaster's office. The three older students exchanged worried looks._

"_We were pulled out of Potions – thank Merlin – by McGonagall. She just said that Professor Dumbledore wanted to speak to us right away." Ron said slowly. His brow seemed permanently creased into a frown._

_The gargoyle, without waiting for the four of them to ramble off Muggle and Weasley sweets alike like usual, slid aside, and they started up the staircase, silent and scared. The Headmaster was waiting at the doorway, looking old and weary. They each took a comfortable position in the armchairs situated in front of his desk, not speaking a word, too terrified to ask questions that could reveal answers they did not want to know._

"_I received word from St Mungo's not long ago." Dumbledore began and each member of the group blanched. There were many that they knew that were currently in St Mungo's due to the Hogsmeade attack, but only one that could possibly be the reason for them being pulled out of their classes. Neville's hand reached across the gap between armchairs and squeezed Ginny's arm reassuringly. "It appears that our Mr Potter awoke sometime last night."_

_Ginny let out the breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, and unclenched her hands from the arms of the chair. Hermione, her face white, glanced around at her friends before turning back to the headmaster, raising her chin._

"_Something else has happened."_

_That much was obvious; there was no hint of joy or relief on the elderly wizard's face._

"_Is – is Harry okay?" Neville asked in a shaking voice._

"_We do not know." Dumbledore pushed forward several pristine white envelopes that had been sitting untouched on his desk, unnoticed. "I am afraid – Harry has disappeared from St. Mungo's. It is believed he left of his own free will."_

_Pandemonium ensued. Hermione's lower lip trembled for several moments before she burst into floods of tears; Ron, completely forgetting who he was speaking to, started yelling at the top of his voice, whilst Ginny and Neville sat, silent and shell-shocked. How was it possible – Harry had been in a coma for _two_ weeks – how could he simply just up and leave after only just waking? _

"_How do you know he left of his own free will?" Ron was demanding furiously, rising to his feet and approaching the headmaster's desk. "There are bloody loads of Death Eaters out for revenge, he could easily have been taken – where the hell were the Aurors that were supposed to be protecting him?"_

"_Ron…" Hermione choked out through her sobs, reaching for her boyfriend. "Ron, don't…"_

"_And what about all that rubbish you told us about Harry not being the same when he woke up? What if – even if he did leave of his own free will, which he wouldn't have, not without saying goodbye! – maybe, it was because he didn't know what he was doing!"_

_Dumbledore pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose and nodded towards the envelopes. "We found letters addressed to Mr Potter's nearest and dearest on his bed when we discovered he was missing."_

_With a trembling hand Ginny snatched up the envelopes, riffling through them. It was unmistakably Harry's writing, albeit rather shaky. Neville… Ron… Hermione… 'Dearest Ginny'…_

"_There were also letters for Mr and Mrs Weasley, Remus Lupin and myself." Dumbledore said softly, seeing Ginny's expression. _

_Another silence ensued, punctuated by Hermione's sniffles and Ron's heavy breathing as the four tore into the envelopes and read through the letters that their best friend had left them._

'_I know there's nothing I can say that will make this better, and I don't blame you if you're angry, Ginny. I would be if I was in your position – I would be furious, and I so wish that I could have said goodbye in a better way but there wasn't time. I have to leave, and I have to leave now. Defeating Voldemort took a lot out of me, and the control I had over my magic and emotions is gone. In fact, it's much worse – I can't be around anyone without performing accidental magic, as I discovered when I woke – I almost seriously injured several Healers and nothing could stop it. I don't want to hurt any of you, and the best way for that is to leave until I have control again. This way, the Death Eaters who are looking for revenge will leave you and your family alone – it's me they want. I don't know when I'll be back. I'm sorry, Ginny. Love always, Harry.'_

_Swiping at the tears that spilled down her cheeks, Ginny got to her feet, crumpling the parchment in her hands, and left the office, not trusting herself to say anything without breaking down completely. It was official. Harry was gone._

_Maybe for good._

"Ginny!" Someone's furious hiss brought her abruptly out of her thoughts and she realised, with horror that she and Hermione were still standing in front of an impatient crowd, the broken ribbon dangling at their sides. Her cheeks flamed as she wondered how long they had been standing there and she hastily gave the muttering crowd a half-bow before ducking back into the store, Hermione on her heels. "What was that?" The brunette demanded.

"What was what?"

"Don't even pretend you don't know." Hermione snapped, sounding angrier than Ginny had heard her in a long time. "Stop lying, Ginny, stop hiding things! We all saw – you went into another of those trances, for _ages_."

Ginny gasped. "Everyone? Mum saw?"

"Yes, your mother saw." Hermione exclaimed, frustrated. "But that shouldn't be the top of your list of worries at the moment. For Merlin's sake, why won't you let us in? We can help!"

"You can't." Ginny stated firmly, just as the door swung open again and the crowd swarmed in. Taking the opportunity as a distraction, Ginny hurried behind the counter, ready to serve the customers as they needed her. To her dismay, her co-worker followed right behind. "Hermione, we have work to do!"

"This is more important." Hermione said, to Ginny's astonishment. _I really don't understand that girl_. "These flashbacks – they've made you change so much, and if you'd just tell us what they're about…"

"I've not changed." Ginny denied, lifting her shoulders into a shrug. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you have."

Ginny glared at Ron, who had appeared at his girlfriend's elbow, looking equally solemn. "Stay out of this, it's none of your business!"

"It is – you're my _sister_ and I care about you." Ron stated matter-of-factly. "You have changed, Ginny." He repeated. "You don't eat, you have nightmares all the time, you're grouchy and snap at every little thing, you don't speak to anyone, and…" He frowned. "When you smile, it doesn't reach your eyes. You're not _you _anymore."

"As touching as that speech was, we have work to do." Ginny snarled, her heart pounding in her chest. She was aware how harsh her words were becoming and hated it, but the thought of them finding out about her strange flashbacks… they would send her straight to the padded rooms in St. Mungo's.

"_Ginny_!" Hermione let her head fall back against the wall with a 'thud', looking increasingly exasperated.

"It's just like back in your first year." Ron continued heedlessly. "And we only found out the reason behind that after you almost _died_. I'm not letting that happen again. I'm not taking any chances – I want to know what's going on, and now."

Clenching her fists together to stop herself from walloping her brother one, Ginny forced her mouth into a rather phoney smile and turned to greet the woman standing at the counter waiting to be served.

Molly stared back at Ginny; mouth stretched into a thin line, and then turned to the twins hovering nearby. "Fred, George – could you spare Ginny for a few minutes?"

For once serious, the twins nodded in unison, Fred moving to take Ginny's place behind the counter. Sighing in resignation, Ginny followed her mother into the store room where the older woman whirled to face her, looking torn between anger and concern.

"How long has this been going on?"

"How long has what been going on?" Ginny returned, struggling to keep her composure. Her mother's eyes narrowed.

"I heard every word, Ginny. What are these flashbacks Hermione kept mentioning?"

Ginny sighed, not wanting to tell Molly but relishing the thought of having the burden lifted off her shoulders. "I don't know." She said softly, frowning. "They're of – the attack at Hogsmeade, and everything that happened afterwards. It's like I'm back there, Mum, reliving it, and – I tried to put it all in the past but it's too _hard_ and I can't stand it, but I'm not going crazy, I swear!" She felt the tears begin to trickle down her face. "I just thought that maybe they'd stop of their own accord but they're just getting worse and they're in my dreams now as well, I can't get away from them!" She was vaguely aware of her mother's arms circling her as she sobbed into Molly's shoulder. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to worry you all and I didn't want to be mean to Ron, but I didn't want you to think that I'm crazy, because I'm _not_!"

"I know." Molly said softly, her heart aching for her lovesick daughter. "But I still think you should see a Healer, Ginny."

Drawing back, the redheaded girl stared at her mother through betrayed brown eyes. "But…"

"No. Please don't argue – they'll be able to help, in some way. You need to deal with this and let it go, not hide it and pretend it's not happening." Molly insisted.

Sniffing, Ginny reluctantly nodded, relieved that her mum was not making a bigger deal of the way that she had been acting over the summer. "All right." She said quietly. "I will."

**V I V I V**

Ginny squirmed uncomfortably under Healer Gregory's intense gaze, equally aware of her parents sitting just outside in the waiting room. The evening after the opening of the Hogsmeade Wheezes had been an emotionally exhausting one as her mother had insisted she give her parents full details of what she was 'seeing'. That had led to many an argument, even more tears and an eventual resignation, and an appointment had been booked for early the next morning.

Sighing, Ginny propped her chin in her hands and watched the Healer scribble on his clipboard. She had not revealed half as much as she had to her parents – the mere thought of pouring out her heart to a stranger after the events of her first year at Hogwarts was enough to make her violently queasy.

"I have a suggestion." Gregory said at length, looking up at Ginny. "Would you like to invite your parents back in?"

It was more of an order than a question and obediently Ginny hopped down from the bed, striding to the door and wrenching it open. Her parents jumped up together, looking anxious. Ginny jerked her head backwards into the room, and stepped aside as Molly and Arthur entered.

"Ginny has all the symptoms of a person suffering from post traumatic stress disorder." Gregory said, and Ginny's jaw dropped. She certainly hadn't expected that what was happening to her actually had a _name_… and a rather long one at that.

"Isn't that a Muggle illness?" Arthur asked blankly.

"A common misconception." The Healer smiled. "Post traumatic stress disorder usually occurs when having experienced a traumatic event that involved loss of life, serious injury or a threat to self or others. In Ginny's case, this all started at the attack at Hogsmeade, when she lost one close friend and her boyfriend nearly lost his own life."

Ginny suddenly found the ceiling very interesting, hating how the Healer was talking about her as if she weren't even in the room.

"The event is usually re-experienced in a number of ways – Ginny has been remembering them via flashbacks and nightmares." He paused, pressing the tips of his fingers to his chin in deep thought. "Muggles, in attempts to rid themselves of the disorder, most commonly go and see what they call psychiatrists, to help them deal with the event and put it behind them. We prefer to use Empath Healers, as it can be dealt with a lot faster to avoid any more distress than is necessary on Ginny's behalf."

Ginny breathed out an immense sigh of relief – she _wasn't_ going crazy!

"Empath Healers are unfortunately, due to their training and powers, extremely expensive." Gregory said, looking uncomfortable. Ginny's heart sank. It was no secret that the Weasleys were far from well off.

Molly glared at the Healer. "When it comes to our daughter's health, there is no price." She stated firmly. Arthur glanced nervously at his wife.

"Molly…"

"We'll find a way, Arthur." Molly said stubbornly. "We will. Somehow."

"I have a suggestion." Gregory intervened quietly. "There is a well-known Empath Healer, in Venice – she is not too expensive, and very devoted to her work."

"Venice – _Italy_?" Molly gasped. "You want us to send Ginny to _Italy_?"

Ginny felt an overwhelming urge to giggle. So many times had she longed to go abroad, especially to Italy, and here she had the chance at her fingertips because of the damn Lord Voldemort himself.

"If you give your consent, I will get in contact with her and recommend Ginny." Gregory continued. "I spoke to her not a week ago and she is working with another patient but she prefers to work with a few at a time – it helps immensely, apparently."

Molly glanced worriedly at her husband. Clearing his throat, the Healer got to his feet.

"I'll give you some alone time to talk it over."

And then he was gone. Ginny, having bitten down to the very ends of her fingernails on one hand, started on the other. "What do you think, Arthur? _Italy_? That's so far away!"

"I know, dear, but he does seem to think highly of this Empath Healer… and if she's not too expensive…" He looked towards Ginny. "What about you, Ginny?"

"I like Venice." Ginny said with a smile, and her mother burst into tears. Horrified, Ginny hastened to Molly's side. "Don't cry, Mum! I – I won't go if you don't want me to!"

"Of course you will." Molly said firmly. "You want to go, and if it will – if it will stop these flashbacks, then you must. I'm just being silly."

Tears spilling down her own cheeks, Ginny wrapped her thin arms around her mother's neck, squeezing the shorter, older woman close to her. _It's just the start_, she reassured herself. _It'll get better._

**V I V I V**

A week later, after Ginny had handed in her resignation to the twins several weeks earlier than they had originally planned had she not decided to go to Venice, the entire family congregated in the Weasley living room, awaiting Ginny's escort that would Portkey the two of them to the small villa in Venice. They had not yet met the Empath Healer, and only spoken through Healer Gregory, so naturally were all extremely curious as to who would appear in their living room in several moments.

"Three." Ron intoned dramatically, pointing at the clock. "Two."

"One." Ginny added with a grin.

With a soft 'pop', a tiny, dark-skinned woman appeared in the centre of the living room, looking around curiously. Ginny tried to straighten her face from shock into what she hoped was a welcoming smile; that was _certainly_ not what she expected the Empath Healer to look like.

Maybe it was the mental image that every Healer wore a long white coat and carried a clipboard, or was at least in their mid-forties. But this woman could not have been older than twenty two or twenty three, with long curly dark hair that practically reached her waist (Ginny decided she had to ask the secret to how the woman managed to get her locks so shiny), large grey eyes and wore thin, flimsy blue robes.

"Hullo!" The woman said with a grin, spotting her audience. She didn't sound remotely Italian. "You must be the Weasleys. Well, I hope so; otherwise I might have some explaining to do."

There were some rather uncomfortable laughs; Ron's mouth still hung open, and had Hermione been there he would have probably received quite a blow to the side of his head. Instead, Ginny promptly stood on his foot and his jaw snapped shut.

"I suppose Healer Gregory simply referred to me as Healer Taylor." The woman said with a grimace. "Please, don't call me that – it makes me sound terribly old. I'm Vanessa – or Ness, if you prefer." She stepped over to Ginny, holding out her hand. "You, of course, are Ginny, yes?"

Numbly, Ginny nodded. Ness beamed as she went around the rest of the Weasleys in introduction, and then sympathetically stood back as Ginny said her tearful goodbyes.

"I'll write every day." She promised.

"Not every day – you concentrate on getting better," Molly scolded. "When you have some spare time. Don't worry about us, Ginny. We'll see you soon."

Biting her lower lip to hold back the tears, Ginny nodded and stepped back to the healer's side, reaching out to touch the necklace that was activated into a Portkey. She just managed to give her family a final wave before the two of them disappeared in a blur of motion and colour.


	6. Learning

**Title: **Losing Faith

**Summary: **It's the summer after Ginny's sixth year, and Voldemort is dead. But still, things are not how they should be. How will everyone cope now that the worst threat is over? HG RHr

**Genre: **Angst/Drama

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **It's all JK Rowling's. 'Nuff said.

**A/N: **Muchos thanks to my kind reviewers – _Gryffindor-girl12, Mei fa-chan, Amaherst, Cappygirl116 _and_ MoniqueDubois. Cappygirl116_, I've actually been reading your fic, and I will review as soon as I finish! Also, my knowledge of the Italian language is just about nil, literally – I am relying on online translators which I know are not often reliable, so apologies for that.

**V I V I V**

_**LEARNING**_

As the world stopped tilting and spinning around her, Ginny's feet connected solidly with the ground and the only thing that stopped her from falling was Ness' grip on her arm. Feeling vaguely queasy, never a fan of the transportation of Portkeys, she kept her eyes tightly closed for several more moments until she was sure her arrival into Italy would not be accompanied with the remains of her breakfast.

"Are you okay?" Ness' concerned voice forced Ginny to open her eyes and she squinted against the bright sunshine, seeing white spots for a few seconds until her vision adjusted to her new surroundings. She found herself only giving a brief nod as she stared around in utter awe. They were standing in what looked to be a cobbled courtyard just behind a two-story, flat-roofed villa with holes in the walls that Ginny presumed to be windows without glass. To their left was the most spectacular view of the city a while below; they appeared to be situated at the top of a steep, grassy hill. The right led off down a dusty, dry track, which Ginny suspected probably led to nowhere and in the center of the courtyard was a fountain that had a stone fairy prancing around in the water, spurting out gushes of water through her wand.

"Wow." Ginny murmured, moving to the left and leaning over the wooden fence to peer down at the city. While the atmosphere was so different to England, it reminded her of a much larger version of Ottery St. Catchpole. Tiny figures cycling and walking continuously chattered foreign language to each other and waved as they passed in the street. Street venders yelled across the pathways to each other, and no one seemed to be in a hurry to get anywhere. "It's amazing."

"It is, isn't it?" Ness agreed, abandoning the trunk that she had kept a hold of and joining Ginny at the fence. "I've only been here about five months but I've really grown to love it."

Ginny turned in surprise. She didn't know what had possessed her to think that Ness had always lived in Venice – Healer Gregory had never mentioned anything of the thought, and the English accent the Empath had surely gave it away. "Where were you before?" She asked, curiously.

"I've been all around – there are so few Empath Healers nowadays, because it's such a taxing job, that we're always being transported across the world when we're needed." Ness explained, blowing a strand of dark hair out of her eyes. "I grew up in Cornwall, and then we moved to Edinburgh when I was eleven – my parents wanted to be closer by when I started at Hogwarts. Then I undertook my Empath training in America, and my Healer training back in Scotland – I was stationed around the North of England for the first year of my actual career, then sent to France – and then here."

"Blimey." Ginny said. "You're well traveled, then." There was no small amount of envy on her face. The trip she had taken with her family to Egypt had been their one vacation and a wonderful one at that, but her thirst to see the world would not be quenched at that one country.

"I am." Ness nodded, turning so that her back leant against the fence. "It's great most of the time, but I do miss my family and friends – being so busy, I don't get a chance to see them much. I do feel guilty, because it is my choice to do this job, and that means neglecting my family and friends." Her keen eyes looked over Ginny. "You feel the same."

Ginny opened her mouth to protest, deny, and found that no words were escaping her. "Um…" She began lamely. "Well, I don't have a job – well, I did, but only for this summer, and I still saw my parents and my brothers in the evenings and mornings, and at weekends, so it wasn't…" She trailed off as Ness raised her eyebrows, and sighed. "Okay, so maybe I did overwhelm myself in the first year of my NEWTs, and – I didn't come home for Christmas and Easter because I wanted to study and – so maybe I neglected my friends a bit but I just wanted to do _well_."

"And you feel bad now because two of those friends are gone and you can't go back and spend more time with them." Ness stated matter-of-factly. Ginny shifted uncomfortably, aware of the Healer's scrutinizing gaze and the heat of the summer sunshine on the back of her neck.

"Damn, you're good." She said with a shaky laugh, and pushed herself away from the fence.

"It's not a bad thing, Ginny." Ness insisted, following the redheaded girl as she moved towards her trunk. With a flick of her wand and a mutter of the familiar levitation charm, the wooden case was floating in midair next to them. "We all have to make choices, and they may not always be the right ones, but we learn from them and move on." She gave Ginny a heartening smile before striding across the courtyard and through the open kitchen door. Still feeling guilty, Ginny trailed behind, taking in the simple context of the first room – a tiled floor, a long counter that stretched across one wall and accommodated an oven, a sink and a fridge, and a wooden table surrounded by chairs. "It's not much." Ness said apologetically. "Rather impersonal at the moment, I'm afraid – Glyn and I are trying to make it seem a little more homely, but we're so busy that we simply haven't had time."

Ginny frowned. "Who's Glyn?"

"Oh!" Ness slapped her hand to her forehead, looking ashamed. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot – Gregory mentioned that I had another patient, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did say something." Ginny recalled.

"Well, that's Glyn Charlton. He's eighteen, has been with me a few months – keeps himself to himself mostly, though he's become a little less withdrawn over time. He's a lovely lad – I'm sure you'll get to be good friends over time. Don't be put off by him at first, he's just shy." Ness encouraged, pushing open the one remaining door in the kitchen and stepping out into what appeared to be a living area. A spiral staircase stood just in the corner of the room, two cream couches set nearby and three comfortable armchairs settled around a coffee table in the middle. A large bookcase was next to another door, crammed to the top with books and games. "This is the study, where we'll have our sessions." Ness explained, pushing open the door next to the bookcase to reveal another large, rather empty room that only possessed a long oak desk, three armchairs identical to the ones in the living room, and another bookshelf filled with strangely titled books. "We mostly try to keep outside, though – it's much cooler, and more comfortable."

Nodding, feeling sick with nerves, Ginny followed Ness up the twisting staircase and found that they were standing at the end of a long hallway with several doors on either side. Ness moved down the hall in a straight line, pointing out the doors on the way. "That's my bedroom, there." She said, tapping on one door that was held ajar. "And that's one of the two bathrooms. This is Glyn's room – this is the other bathroom, and what we call a store room – which is basically where all the junk is thrown." She grinned mischievously, her eyes twinkling. "I wouldn't dare open the door; we'll get trapped underneath mounds of things that I thought I'd lost a long time ago."

At the end of the corridor, she pushed open the last door with a dramatic flourish. "And your bedroom, milady!"

Ginny couldn't help but gape again. The entire house was, as Ness had described, impersonal, as was this room, but it was still quite spectacular. With a tiled floor to stop the room from getting too hot, and cream walls, it was fairly plain, though the king-sized old fashioned oak bed with gold and cream drapes certainly made up for it, as did the oak armoire and the double French doors leading out onto a balcony that looked out over the city.

"Feel free to brighten it up in any way you can." Ness suggested, pulling a face. "I don't know your tastes – though I suspect a few discarded clothes and a large selection of Muggle books does the trick for you."

Ginny grinned. "Got it in one." She said, thinking of her room back at the Burrow with the shelf groaning under the weight of her Muggle books and the clothes that took up every available piece of floor space.

"I'm off to go and make some lemonade – I'm parched." Ness said suddenly, moving back towards the door. "I'll leave you to unpack – I think Glyn is out with our neighbours at the moment, and the moment they hear I'm making lemonade they'll be right back, so you can meet them all soon."

The younger girl forced a smile, still trying to adjust to the fact that she was in a foreign country without a soul she knew, living with two strangers and about to meet what sounded like a hoard more. The fact that Ness had started to analyse her practically as soon as they had entered the country, mere minutes after they had met for the first time, made her feel slightly uneasy, and she scolded herself inwardly. It was part of the woman's job, and she would have to get used to it.

Ginny glared at her trunk still standing by the doorway for several moments before purposely turning her back on it. She was never a fan when it came to unpacking - there wasn't really a need for it, she decided firmly, as her clothes looked perfectly comfortable folded up at the bottom of the case. Moving to the double doors, she pushed aside the flimsy curtain and stepped out onto the balcony, gasping simultaneously at the heat that struck her and the view from her bedroom.

It was incredibly peaceful up on the hill away from the city, despite the fact that she could still see many people coming and going along the streets. The silence was odd; Ginny was used to noise, being a member of a rowdy family of nine and spending most of her year living in a massive boarding school, and she knew that it would take a lot of getting used to. Ness didn't seem like the type of person to be overly quiet, however.

Not wanting to get lost in depressed thoughts, especially as the tiny nagging voice in her head was asking her what she would do if Harry returned whilst she was still in Venice to find her gone, Ginny headed down the stairs to the kitchen. Voices from within the room startled her; she had not heard anyone come in. Pushing open the door, she found herself the center of attention in front of a group of strangers.

Swallowing hard, Ginny kept well back, only feeling mildly relieved as she spotted Ness somewhere behind the cluster of teenagers, pouring out glasses of freshly made lemonade.

"Ah, un nuovo arrivato! Che è il suo nome?"

Ginny stared at the petite dark-haired girl that had spoken a flurry of words in a strange language. Another girl, a sister perhaps, giggled and nudged the speaker.

"L'idiota, Rosa! È inglese, lei non può dire?"

"Erm…" Ginny stated blankly, glancing worriedly at Ness, who was struggling to hold back her own giggles. "Sorry, I don't understand."

"Oh, no, _I'm _sorry!" The first speaker exclaimed, her English thick with an Italian accent. "I forget often that Ness and Glyn are English, for they speak Italian like us."

"That's because of a spell, Rosa." The one male said, sounding amused. _So this must be Glyn_, Ginny thought interestedly, eyeing the boy. He seemed to be a few years older than her, tall and lanky with floppy brown hair and gray eyes. He caught her gaze and held it for several seconds, his expression unreadable. Suddenly uncomfortable, it was Ginny that broke the gaze, instead turning to force a smile towards the four girls clustered around her. They were all equally olive-skinned, with dark hair and dark eyes. It was only their facial features and their body structure that told Ginny they were probably not even sisters, let alone twins or quadruplets.

"I'm Ginny." She said haltingly when no one made any move to introduce each other.

"That's pretty." The smallest girl said softly; she could not have been older than twelve or thirteen years old. "I'm Carlotta."

"We're cousins." The first speaker explained, motioning around at the other girls. "I am Rosa; I live next door with my aunt, uncle and Carlotta. Anna and Gina are just visiting for the day; they live across the other side of the city."

Ginny nodded politely, feeling rather out of place as the girl that Rosa had introduced as Anna turned to Glyn and started to chatter away in Italian. He replied with equal fluency, his expression never changing. Carlotta and Gina, who seemed around Ginny's age, were playing 'slapsies' with their hands and giggling wildly, whilst Rosa stared unashamedly at Ginny, curiosity evident in her eyes.

"Lemonade." Ness interrupted, to Ginny's relief, and set the tray of drinks down on the table. There was a wild scramble, Carlotta and Gina still giggling – Ginny realised that those two were going to grate on her nerves awfully quickly – and soon the seven of them were squeezed around the kitchen table, glasses in hand.

The conversation flowed easily – to all but Ginny that was. All six were constantly alternating between Italian and English, confusing the English girl to no end, and not for the first time that day she found herself longing to be back at the Burrow, amongst the people she knew and loved. She stared dismally into her glass, focusing on the bubbles that rose to the surface and popped with tinny sounds that she could only hear if she focused hard.

_Ginny moved down the staircase almost in a trance, barely aware of the fact that she was shredding the letter into tiny pieces and leaving it in a trail behind her. As the gargoyle slid closed, she paused, the realisation hitting her so hard her legs very nearly buckled under her._

"_Damn it." She whispered, the tears springing fresh to her eyes. Luna's death came flooding back to her… Neville's numb shock as he was informed of his grandmother's death… seeing Harry, so still and white and fragile in the hospital bed… and the celebrations of Voldemort's defeat ringing through the ruined streets of Hogsmeade, even in the aftermath when so many were lost and so many homes were destroyed. The bitterness overwhelmed her and she kicked the wall in a fury, ignoring the throbbing pain as her foot connected with solid stone. "DAMN IT!"_

Ginny snapped her mouth closed, aware that she had been about to curse or do worse, and flushed as she realised that Ness was scrutinizing her again, not looking concerned but simply – intrigued. Pushing her chair back, Ginny muttered an excuse and left the kitchen, blinking back the tears. Sitting down on the bottom step of the staircase, she put her head in her hands, breathing hard, trying to sort out her jumbled emotions. Someone clearing their throat uncomfortably made her shoot upright, clutching her hand to her chest and gasping.

"Bloody hell, you scared me!"

Glyn shifted from foot to foot. "Sorry. Are you all right?"

Biting back a snide retort, which she had tended to do whenever Hermione or her family had asked her that question – this was a _stranger_ she was talking to – Ginny lifted her shoulders into a shrug and forced a smile. She seemed to be doing that quite often lately. "I'm fine." She lied. He didn't look convinced.

"Why are you here?"

Ginny gaped, astounded, and felt herself prickle with indignation. "I don't see that's any business of yours." She said finally, stiffly. He blinked, taken aback.

"Oh – oh, right, of course. Sorry." There was a pause. "But, we're going to be living together, so surely…"

"I've known you all of twenty minutes." Ginny said, narrowing her eyes. "It takes a little longer for me to trust someone enough to reveal something so personal."

Glyn took several steps backward, raising his hands in the air in a gesture of defeat. "All right – okay, sorry I asked. Just – came to see if you were all right, that's all. Never mind."

"Wait." Ginny said suddenly, feeling bad. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean to snap. This is just taking some getting used to – I've not been here long."

"You only arrived today, didn't you?" Glyn queried, settling down in one of the armchairs. She nodded, slowly lowering herself back onto the stair, swiping a hand across her eyes to make sure that they were dry. His gaze never faltered from her, unnerving her, and she glared at him.

"Stop that!"

"Stop what?"

"Staring." Ginny wrapped her arms around herself. "You keep staring at me. What's so interesting?"

It was Glyn's turn to flush, and he shrugged. "Sorry. I just didn't expect you to be so…"

"So what?" Ginny pressed as he failed to continue.

"Grown up." He replied bashfully, breaking the contact and looking towards the floor. Ginny laughed.

"I'm only sixteen."

"I know – but you seem so much older." He started tugging at the threads of his trousers. "Sorry, but… well, if I didn't know how old you were, I'd say you were about nineteen."

"That's what war does to you." Ginny said dryly. "Makes you grow up before your time. Even my brothers are a lot older than they should be, and they used to be so irritating and immature."

His head snapped up, and Ginny could have sworn there was a glint of something – a twinkle, perhaps – in his gray eyes. "How are they?"

She blinked, startled. "I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, I mean – your family is all okay after the war, aren't they?"

It was rather an odd question to ask, Ginny decided. "They're fine." She informed him. "I've got a large family, and we were rather – directly involved – so there was always the worry that one of us would fall, but miraculously none of us did." She failed to mention Harry, or Luna, who had really been a part of their family… but she doubted that Glyn would understand.

Another awkward silence fell. Unable to stand it, Ginny stood back up, pushing her hair away from her face. "Well – I'm – I'm off to unpack." She said finally, knowing she would do no such thing but needing to get away, feeling rather stifled. Glyn gave her a mere nod as she hurried up the stairs, and stopped at the top, leaning against the wall to try and make sense of what had just happened. There was something quite odd about the boy – in the extremely short time she had known him, she could tell that he wasn't quite as shy as Ness had made him out to be – simply withdrawn. He certainly seemed advanced in managing to hide his emotions and thoughts. Those gray eyes were creepy, she decided with a shudder. So piercing, yet… empty. It scared her.

But the little nagging voice was back, telling her for some reason that she should get to know this Glyn… and find out why _he_ had been sent to live with an Empath Healer.

**V I V I V**

Dusk fell, and Ness found Ginny in her bedroom, curled on the floor by the balcony doors surrounded by screwed up pieces of parchment and broken quills. The girl gave a grin up at the Healer who perched on the end of the bed, eyeing her contemplatively.

"Trying to do my homework. It's not working."

"I'm shocked." Ness said, raising her eyebrows. "First night in Venice, and you're doing _homework_. Somehow, I didn't think that you would be that type of person."

"I'm not – I hate homework with a passion, like just about everyone else." Ginny said wryly, standing up and brushing down her robes. "But I didn't – well, I wasn't sure what else to do."

"Are you kidding?" Ness exclaimed, her eyes wide. "First of all, there are about a gazillion books and games downstairs. Secondly, you've just come for the first time to _Venice_. There are plenty of places to explore!"

Ginny paused, her mouth slightly open. For some reason it hadn't occurred to her that she would be allowed to explore the city – her mother was always so overprotective, and they had never been allowed even into London without being escorted by an Auror.

Of course, things were very different now. Ness giggled at the expression on her young charge's face.

"You didn't think I'd lock you up and keep you confined to the house, did you?"

Ginny's face flushed a dull red and she ducked her head, struggling to keep the sheepish grin off her face. "I didn't really think about it."

"Right." Ness said firmly, pushing herself off the bed. "We're going out to dinner. You need to meet the city, and what better way to start than with the best Italian food around?" She moved towards the doorway. "What say you?"

"I say – excellent!" Ginny gave a genuine smile for the first time that day.

An hour later saw Ness, Ginny and Glyn sitting at a small table outside one of the popular Italian restaurants, all kitted out in Muggle clothing to blend in with the crowd. Whilst Ness and Glyn chattered quietly, Ginny continued to twist around in her seat, desperate to see everything, her eyes wide with awe, and constantly pointing out things that interested her. Her company kept glancing at her in amusement; it was nothing new to them, but Ginny's enthusiasm was contagious.

"Pasta!" Ginny said gleefully as their dishes were set in front of them, and dived in as if she hadn't eaten for weeks – despite her mother's insistence to fatten the entire Weasley clan up, her appetite had been nil, yet she was suddenly absolutely starving.

"Before I forget, I think I should mention ground rules." Ness piped up as they dug into their dinner. "Considering what Ginny thought living here would be like, things need to be made clear."

Glyn glanced at Ginny curiously. "What did you think?"

"Oh, nothing." Ginny waved a hand dismissively, hoping that she wasn't turning red again. She seemed to be doing that a lot – though it was probably a combination of heat, she reassured herself.

"Don't think you're confined to the house." Ness said, turning to her newest charge. "But don't go off without telling me, either – I know you're nearing adulthood, but that doesn't mean it's safe, especially as at the moment you can't use magic to protect yourself."

Ginny nodded, expecting as much.

"We have a two hour group session each evening aside from tonight – and an hour session in the mornings alone." Ness explained. "But anytime you need to talk, just come and seek me out – I don't have much of a life, so I'll be around." She grinned cheerfully. "Healer Gregory also comes once every two weeks, just to check how things are going."

"Only because he fancies you." Glyn muttered under his breath, earning a stern glare from the Healer. Ginny didn't even bother to stifle her giggles.

"During the day, you can do what you want – go out, or there are plenty of things to do around the villa. We have a house-elf, Twinkie, so there's no need to help out with chores."

"Isn't Twinkie the name of a Muggle sweet?" Ginny asked, remembering the class trip to London she had been on with her Muggle Studies class. She subsided under Ness' rather amused stare. "Sorry. Carry on."

"Nothing is out of bounds in the villa aside from each others' bedrooms, unless you have permission." Ness stated, spearing a tomato and chewing on it with a blissful look on her face. "Privacy is important." At Ginny's nod, she leant back in her chair, raising her arms above her head and patting her stomach. "And that's about all, I think."

"You forgot the fairy." Glyn pointed out. Ginny stared at him.

"What fairy? There's a fairy?"

"Yup." Glyn grinned. "The stone one, in the fountain – I suppose she's not really _real_ but she certainly acts that way. Think Moaning Myrtle. I'd keep out of her way if I were you – she gets so moody at the slightest thing, and then other times she doesn't stop giggling – her, Carlotta and Gina together are rather awful. Don't antagonize her, because she'll either drench you or throw a fit loud enough to wake the Muggles down in the city."

Ginny shook her head, surprised – she had only just caught the tail end of Glyn's words, his first few sentences still registering in her mind. "You went to Hogwarts?"

"Yes." He eyed her warily. "Where did you think I went?"

"Oh, I don't know." She shrugged. "I didn't really think about it – but I suppose, you can't have gone to Beauxbatons as that's an all-girls school, and Durmstrang – well, I've met pupils from Durmstrang and you certainly don't seem like one of those, so – I don't know what I thought." She rested her chin in her hands. "When did you graduate? And what house were you in?"

He shifted, looking strangely uncomfortable. "Uh – I was in – um, Hufflepuff, yes. And I graduated – uh, this year."

Ginny pondered for a moment before looking apologetic. "Sorry, I don't remember seeing you around at all. I'm just about to go into my seventh year – and I'm a Gryffindor."

"I know."

"What?" Taken aback, Ginny paused in the process of raising her glass of coke to her lips. Glyn gave her a small smile.

"I mean, everyone knows the Weasleys – I've seen you and your brothers plenty of times."

"Oh." Ginny said blankly. She knew that her family were well-known, but didn't realise that she herself was. "I – sorry, I've not seen you at all."

"Not a surprise." Glyn returned dryly. "I wasn't the most favourite of people at Hogwarts."

They lapsed into a more comfortable silence, the only sound the slurping of drinks and cutlery scraping against china, until Ginny, the last to finish eating, put her utensils down and say back with a happy sigh. "That was, undoubtedly, the best meal I have ever had – and I don't think that I'm going to be able to eat for another week."

"You have to." Ness looked horrified. "Ice cream always comes next – we never leave this place without having a sundae!"

Glyn snickered. "Even if we're absolutely full to bursting." He informed Ginny. "Ness insists. She'll actually bind you to your chair until you eat it."

Ginny groaned. "Please, please don't give that idea to my mother – she'll start doing the same."

Another snicker emitted from the boy, and she glanced towards him to see that glitter in his eye again… almost as if he _knew_… Ginny resisted the urge to shake her head and the thoughts out. He was a stranger. Of course he didn't know her, or her family, or her mother's ways.

"What house were you in, Ness?" She asked after they had ordered – Glyn a banana split, Ness a chocolate sundae and Ginny a strawberry sundae. Setting her glass back down, Ness grinned.

"I was a Hufflepuff – in your brother Percy's year."

"Weird – we were all at Hogwarts at the same time, but we never once came across each other." Ginny commented, frowning slightly. Ness shook her head.

"Oh, with the amount of students in Hogwarts it's not a surprise, but I did see both of you around." She gave Glyn a keen look that Ginny couldn't quite differentiate. "Both of you were pretty impossible to miss."

"Really?" Ginny asked again, astounded and feeling inexplicably guilty. "I – I never saw you."

"Stop feeling guilty." Ness scolded. "Like I said – there are hundreds of students in Hogwarts; you can't possibly know each and every one, even if it is only by face and not by name." She let out a girlish squeal that did not quite match up with the stern expression she had plastered on her face as their sundaes were placed in front of them, and, picking up the long spoon, dived in with a vengeance. Glyn and Ginny exchanged amused glances before following the woman's lead.

"Ish good." Ness mumbled through a mouthful of ice cream.

"Cold." Ginny added, though she nodded in agreement. It felt strange, to be sitting eating ice cream with two strangers, talking with her mouth full and not worrying about getting berated by her mother, attacked by Death Eaters or turned into a canary or something similar by the twins.

Actually, rather everything felt strange at that point.

"As we're not going to have a group session tonight, what say we have a game of cards or something?" Ness asked as they traipsed back up the hill towards the villa. Ginny clutched her hand to her side, vowing that she was going to get into proper shape if she was going to be walking up that hill a lot. "They're rather taxing, as Glyn can vouch for, and I didn't think that would be a particularly good start to your time in Venice."

"A game of cards sounds good to me." Glyn piped up, trailing into the living room behind the two girls and collapsing onto one of the sofas, Ginny joining him and Ness sitting cross-legged on the floor opposite, so that the coffee table was between them. Picking up the pack of cards, she proceeded to deal them out so fast that they ended up skidding across the room.

"Ness said you've been here a few months." Ginny stated, picking up her cards and peering at them. "I can't imagine spending that much time away from home – it's different at Hogwarts, you know? I mean, I still managed to see my family quite frequently."

Glyn shrugged, staring hard at his own cards. "Well, I don't really have a family to miss, so I'm all right."

Ginny bit her lower lip hard, trying to tell herself that while she had managed to put her foot in it, she couldn't have known. Seeing her worried look, Glyn hastened to reassure her.

"Oh, it's all right. It's been a long time. And my adoptive family, so to speak – well, I miss them, but it's for their own good."

He tossed a card from his selection down onto the pile, ending that topic, though his words echoed around Ginny's head.

'_Ginny… I'm sorry I've not replied to your letters before now. But please, understand… it's for your own good. All of you.'_

"Ginny, your turn." Ness pressed gently. Distractedly, Ginny tossed down the first card she picked out of her pile, and with a cry of triumph Ness announced that she had won the game.

"What?" Glyn asked in astonishment. "How? We weren't even playing a game – we were just putting down cards randomly!"

"Were we?" Ness asked innocently, scooping the cards towards her as if they were chips in a poker game. "Well, the game that I thought we were playing meant that I won."

"I swear you're not really four years older than me," Glyn grumbled, scowling at her. "You act younger than Carlotta, for crying out loud."

Ginny snickered as Ness stuck her tongue out at the boy. They didn't seem to have a mentor-charge relationship as she had imagined herself and Ness having. It was more a brother-sister one, and considering what Glyn had just told her, she supposed it was a good thing. She voiced her thoughts out loud, and the two exchanged charming smiles.

"We figured it too, but it's nice to hear someone else mention it." Ness said. "And you, my dear Ginny, will be the addition to our strange little family."

"Please, no." Ginny moaned, holding her hands up in mock defeat. "I've enough brothers as it is. Though I've always wanted a sister."

"Hey!" Glyn said indignantly. "That's not fair." He paused, thinking. "How many brothers _do_ you have?"

"Six." Ginny informed him, and groaned again, Ness matching it with plenty of enthusiasm. "Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George and Ron. And to make matters worse, I'm the youngest, so they can get far too overprotective. They give anyone who dares want to date me the third degree beforehand, and it usually scares people off." She smiled fondly. There had, of course, been the third degree with Harry, though not half as harsh as they had tried it with Michael or Dean, and Harry had stuck it out with determination.

"You have a boyfriend though?" Glyn asked, trying and failing to make his voice sound neutral. Ness' head snapped up and she looked between the two, smirking.

"Yes." Ginny stated firmly, and said no more.

She thought she had seen a flicker of a smile trace across Glyn's face, but decided she had imagined it, and joined in on the rowdy game of cards with matched excitement to the hyperactive twenty-two year old.

**V I V I V**

Later in the evening, when Ginny had departed to bed long before the other two, she found herself waking up to the sound of hushed voices just outside her room. Frowning, she slid out of bed, padding silently to the door, and, knowing that she shouldn't be eavesdropping, was about to open the door to inform them of her presence when she heard her name mentioned.

"Shh! She'll hear you – it's not a good idea to have this conversation right outside her bloody bedroom!"

"She sleeps like a rock."

Ginny frowned. How could Glyn know how she slept – even if it was true?

"Even so, it's not a good idea." Ness repeated. "Look, we'll talk about this tomorrow."

"You're stalling." Glyn stated. "What on earth possessed you to agree to this? Do you know how dangerous it could be? All that work – could be for _nothing_!"

"It won't. I know you, and I know that you won't let that happen. Besides, I don't refuse anyone, and when Gregory came to me with Ginny's case, I knew that she would be one I would definitely work with."

"But… things are going to come to light eventually, you know that, and it's not going to go well."

"Whose fault is that?"

"I panicked, all right? I wasn't ready! And now… now, she'll hate me when she finds out…"

"She might not." Ness sounded optimistic, hopeful, but Ginny could have sworn she heard Glyn shaking his head.

"She will." And then there was the sound of footsteps retreating. Puzzled, completely forgetting that she had needed to go to the bathroom, Ginny moved back beneath the thin bed sheets, trying to make sense of what she had just heard.


	7. Confrontations

**Title: **Losing Faith

**Summary: **It's the summer after Ginny's sixth year, and Voldemort is dead. But still, things are not how they should be. How will everyone cope now that the worst threat is over? HG RHr

**Genre: **Angst/Drama

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **It's all JK Rowling's. 'Nuff said.

**A/N: **-begs forgiveness- I know it's been an age since the last update, _again_, and I won't start on all my excuses because I don't have any – apart from the fact my muse has been cruel to me and run away. I'm afraid it's somewhat of a shorter chapter as well. I know, I know, I'm terrible – and feeling really guilty:(

**V I V I V**

_**CONFRONTATIONS**_

Ginny found herself tossing and turning for the majority of the night, frustrated by her insomnia. A combination of her mind going into overdrive at the strange conversation she had heard, the unbearable heat and being in a foreign country without a single friendly face made sleep practically determined not to take her.

It wasn't until the sun began to peek through the curtains, far too early, that she drifted off into an uneasy, nightmare-plagued doze.

"_Incendio!"_

_  
The cry, echoing through the Great Hall, was choked with suppressed fury, and every pair of eyes snapped towards the girl standing on the bench at the Gryffindor table. Her wand aimed towards a smoldering pile of ash amidst the breakfast dishes, Ginny swept her gaze around the room, challenging. A student at the Hufflepuff table let out a shriek of surprise as the Daily Prophet that she had been reaching for burst into flames as Ginny shouted out the burning curse for the second time._

"_Miss Weasley!" Both Professors McGonagall and Snape had risen to their feet, the former torn between pity and concern, the latter practically steaming with rage. Taking a great effort to wipe the smirk off her face, Ginny sat down, ignoring the worried looks her brother and Hermione were giving her._

"_It's a load of trash, that paper." She snarled at anyone who was in hearing range. "The only part of it that's true is that Voldemort's dead."_

"_So Harry hasn't run away?" Colin Creevey asked eagerly, looking for the first time remotely happy since his brother's death in Hogsmeade. Ginny hesitated, looking towards her friends for help. Reassuringly, Ron clapped a hand down onto her shoulder and squeezed it._

"_He's just recuperating, Colin." Hermione said tentatively, as the redheaded Weasley bit down hard on her lower lip. "He's not a coward."_

"_Oh, I know that!" Colin gasped, looking outraged at the mere thought. "Of course he isn't! I would never say such a thing!"_

_Ginny winced as she thought of the harsh words that the Daily Prophet had spat out upon realising they were not going to get an interview from the famous Harry Potter, defeater of the Dark Lord. 'More than meets the eye'… 'Why not even bid farewell to best friends Weasley and Granger?' … 'A dangerous amount of power…'_

She snapped herself out of her doze, the tears already starting to spill down her cheeks, and, with a stifled sob, drew her knees up to her chest at the memory of the spiteful words Skeeter had written. While Harry always seemed to laugh off the articles that the Prophet printed, there was the hint of hurt in his eyes every time a new one appeared or someone referred to it.

Noting absently that the sunlight was now flooding into the bedroom, Ginny pushed the covers off her and sat upright, relieved that the night was over. She dressed quickly, finding her thinnest robes that were rather worn and tugging her hair into a hasty ponytail. Glyn and Ness' conversation pushed to the back of her mind, she padded barefoot down the stairs, drawn towards the kitchen by the delicious smell of homemade bread. A house-elf was standing on a three-legged stool at the kitchen counter, a cloth dancing around in front of it and sweeping breadcrumbs into a hovering dustpan. Ginny couldn't help but smile; the house-elf was wearing a pillowcase with jagged cut holes for her arms and legs, with a thick frayed ribbon tied around its middle.

"Ginny, good morning!" Ness said in a chipper voice from where she sat with Glyn at the table, nursing a cup of coffee. Ginny only just managed to grunt a reply, feeling highly irritable from lack of sleep, and slid into one of the chairs opposite.

"She's only that happy after her coffee." Glyn informed Ginny, smirking slightly. "I'd keep out of her way before that." He received a playful slap on the arm from Ness, who stuck her tongue out at him in a childish manner.

Ginny forced a smile, feeling rather out of the loop – it was obvious that her two 'housemates' were very close and shared plenty of inside jokes. Shaking herself mentally, reminding herself that she hadn't been in Venice a full twenty-four hours, her smile became a lot more genuine.

"Would Miss like coffee?" The house-elf had appeared at Ginny's elbow, holding out the coffee pot and looking rather eager. At the redhead's nod, a steaming mug appeared in front of her and she breathed in the sweet aroma, instantly reminded of the Burrow and the way the kitchen always smelled of a mixture of tea and coffee, her family's weakness. "Would Miss like some breakfast?" Twinkie continued, looking rather put-out as Ginny pulled a face.

"No, thank you – it's far too early for breakfast!"

"Oh, you're not a morning person either." Glyn said, and Ginny couldn't help but frown at his tone – as if he had known all along she hated getting up early and was only just remembering.

"No." She said bluntly, and turned to Ness, wrapping her hands around her mug. "What's on the agenda for today?"

"I was originally going to speak to you alone this morning, Ginny, but I thought a better idea would be for the three of us to go through the Occlumency basics together. Do you know of Occlumency?"

Ginny's frown deepened. "Ye-es." She said reluctantly, remembering the many evenings Harry had come back from Occlumency lessons with Snape exhausted, irritable and emotional. It didn't sound particularly appealing to her. "Why do you want me to learn Occlumency?"

"Oh, I don't." Ness reassured her. "But the first step in Occlumency is clearing your mind and focusing on blocking your emotions. I think that if you master that, then we can work on getting rid of your flashbacks."

Ginny noticed that though Glyn hadn't seemed to be listening, instead staring deep into his bowl of soggy cereal, his head had snapped towards the both of them when Ness had mentioned 'flashbacks'.

"Um." She pushed her chair back, unable to stand the boy's scrutiny. "If you'll excuse me, I need to – get some - air." She made a hasty bid towards the kitchen door, sucking in deep breaths of the cool morning air and feeling vaguely relaxed by the sound of the fairy splashing in the fountain. The fuzz that had been her brain when she had woken had dispersed into more furiously whirling thoughts, all centered on Glyn and his strange reactions.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Ginny found herself wishing for the millionth time that she was back in the Burrow surrounded by her family... and Harry.

**V I V I V **

"Breathe in, and out." Ness' voice, even and devoid of the usual laughter, was rather calming in the heat of the study. Finding it hard to focus with the sound of Glyn's heavy breathing right next to her, Ginny shifted slightly to the right, opening her eyes and grimacing as she realised Ness was glaring at her. "Eyes closed." The Healer reminded her. "Focus on your breathing – imagine your lungs expanding and contracting with each breath. Think of that only."

It sounded easy, Ginny realised, but it was in fact easier said than done. Her mind kept involuntarily drifting. Forcing those thoughts out of her head, she did as Ness said; acutely aware of the thick, rather stuffy air she was sucking in.

_There was a nasty, empty feeling in her stomach as she woke up that she couldn't understand. Struggling to quench the panic that gripped her, Ginny sat up, the blankets falling down to her waist, and squinted against the light shining into her bedroom. Hermione was sprawled out across her bed, one hand dangling off the mattress and her pajama bottoms risen up to her knees, untidy in a contrast to her usual neat self. Struggling to hide her giggles, Ginny glanced at the clock on her wall and realised why her stomach felt so strange as her heart plummeted. It wasn't one of Fred and George's concoctions she had accidentally consumed as she had originally consumed._

_Her Christmas present, a clock that also informed her of important dates that she had been given by Charlie, as she was rather inclined to be forgetful, informed her that today was 'Your significant other's 18th birthday'._

_Harry was eighteen and, in a painful reminder of the years he had spent with Dursleys when he had barely known, let alone celebrated, his birthday, was once again spending it alone._

"Ginny, snap out of it!"

"Well, that's a new approach." Ginny murmured, biting down on the inside of her cheek as she raised a hand to her stinging cheek. Ness only looked vaguely ashamed. Ginny offered the Healer a weak smile.

"Was that one of them?" Ness asked curiously, leaning back on her ankles and scrutinizing the soon-to-be seventeen-year-old.

"Uh huh." Ginny nodded, her brow furrowed. "It was – different, though."

"Different how?"

"Well, all the others – they were of the attack, and Harry's disappearance." Ginny explained, gesticulating and not noticing the short gasp from Glyn sitting just behind her. "This one – it was of his birthday. His eighteenth."

"What happened then?" Ness asked softly, and Ginny couldn't stop the bitter laugh from emerging.

"Nothing." She said shortly. "Absolutely nothing, and that's the problem. We – well, we couldn't exactly celebrate without him, so we sent a big package, but well, he didn't even acknowledge that he'd got it… it was just the thought of him spending it alone, and – he should've been with his _family_, not moping around somewhere feeling sorry for himself!"

"He wasn't moping." Glyn's voice, loud and indignant, cut through the tension in the room, and Ginny twisted around to stare at him in surprise. She had completely forgotten he was in the room. Ness said nothing, her gaze only flickering between the two teenagers.

"How would you know? You don't even know who I'm talking about!"

"I – um…" Glyn floundered, struggling for words, deliberately avoiding eye contact. "I just figured that you know, he probably didn't want to be away from you, but needed to have some time alone."

Ginny continued to stare. "I said," she continued, only just managing to get the words past the lump in her throat. "That you don't even know who I'm talking about. You didn't even know why I'm here. You don't know _anything_, so kindly keep your nose out of my business!"

"Ginny." Ness said sharply. "The reason you're both here…."

"I'm not here to talk to _him_!" Ginny spat, ignoring the hurt look in Glyn's eyes. "He deliberately kept quiet so that he could listen in to our conversation – all he's been trying to do is pry into my business!"

"He's just being a friend."

"He's _not_ a friend." All of a sudden furious, Ginny jumped to her feet. "I've not even know either of you a day. You're not friends, so don't act like it!"

"Hey, Ness didn't do anything!" Glyn interrupted, though the Healer didn't look in the slightest bit upset by Ginny's declaration. "She's just trying to help!"

"You're right, she is." Ginny agreed. "So what's your excuse? Why would you want to help a stranger? Why are you acting so chummy? There's got to be some ulterior motive you've got… so spill."

"I just want to be friends." Glyn uttered lamely.

"Friends don't start off by demanding to know their most private business!" Ginny exclaimed, her voice growing shrill. Folding her arms, she glared at him. "Why are _you_ here, then?"

Glyn stiffened, and for the first time she saw a flash of fear in his grey eyes. "I'd rather not say." He muttered finally.

"So it's all right for you to demand to know why I'm here but not all right for me to ask _you_." Ginny demanded. She pointed an accusing finger at the boy. "There's something off about you, Glyn Something, and don't think I haven't noticed. I heard you last night."

Both Glyn and Ness gasped, and Ness turned accusing eyes on Glyn. "I _told _you she'd hear!"

"How was I supposed to know – she _does_ sleep like a rock usually!" Glyn protested. Frustrated, Ginny let out a small scream and tugged at her ponytail.

"Why would you say that? How can you know how I sleep, or who Harry is, or why he left? The only person that knows that is Harry!"

Both Glyn and Ness' mouths snapped shut, and a silence settled in the room. Trembling, Ginny backed away, feeling overwhelmed, and unable to silence the voice inside her head telling her what could only be the reasons behind the boy's strange behavior.

The aura of familiarity that surrounded Glyn, his reactions whenever she mentioned anything to do with her life, his insistence to know _why_ she was in the company of a Healer… it all added up. There had been a strange emotion in his eyes when she had met him the day before – a great sadness, the look of someone having had a large burden dumped on their shoulders from a young age. It was a look she realised she could recognise anywhere.

Pressing a hand to her mouth, Ginny stared at Glyn, as he opened and shut his mouth wordlessly.

"Um… guys?" Ness asked tentatively, looking from one to the other. "Ginny, listen."

"You're – you've been lying to me." Ginny gasped, reaching behind her for the doorknob. Wrenching the door open, she practically fell into the living room. Glyn lowered his eyes to the floor, and Ness just looked saddened.

"Tell me the truth." Ginny said firmly, staring at Glyn. "Your name isn't Glyn, is it?"

Hesitantly, Glyn shook his head, still refusing to meet her eye.

"You weren't a Hufflepuff." Ginny continued, wondering inwardly why her voice was so calm when her insides were twisting painfully. Once again, there was a shake of the head. "You were a Gryffindor." A nod, and Ginny felt like throwing up, not understanding what was happening. "Harry?"

Glyn finally looked her in the eye, and she saw all she needed to know.


	8. Revelations

**Title: **Losing Faith

**Summary: **It's the summer after Ginny's sixth year, and Voldemort is dead. But still, things are not how they should be. How will everyone cope now that the worst threat is over? HG RHr

**Genre: **Angst/Drama

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **It's all JK Rowling's. 'Nuff said.

**A/N: **And to make it up to you all, a second update in a week! – _Gasp_ - Thank you so much for the reviews … I wouldn't be continuing with this fic if it weren't for you guys, you're all wonderful! –_ Nods_ – Don't worry, Ginny won't go easy on Harry – quite the opposite, actually! – _Evil snicker -_

**V I V I V**

_**REVELATIONS**_

Finding that she was suddenly unable to breathe, Ginny spun around, ignoring Ness and Glyn's protests, and ran for the stairs, her emotions in turmoil as she stampeded up the twisting staircase to her bedroom. At the sound of footsteps behind her, she slammed the door closed with such force that the picture frames on the wall rattled and leant against it, struggling for breath.

"Oh Gods." She gasped out to the empty room, her fingers clutching onto the armoire by the door as she tried to comprehend the truth. _Harry_ was downstairs. Harry, her boyfriend, the reason she had been so desperately depressed over the summer, the person who had made her feel so guilty and torn up at merely smiling or laughing. A nasty feeling was gripping her stomach, and it wasn't the happiness of a reunion with him after being separated for nearly two months.

_Ron sulked all the way down to Hogsmeade, unsurprisingly. When Hermione had informed her friends and boyfriend that she had to stay behind and catch up on work, he had even offered to stay and keep her company, to which she had looked more exasperated than happy at the proposal. She had informed him, in no uncertain terms, that with him distracting her she wouldn't get a sliver of work done, and he certainly wasn't thinking of spending the Saturday in the library. _

"_I'm off to Zonko's." He muttered grouchily, glaring at Ginny and Harry's entwined fingers, and stomped off, his shoulders hunched and head bowed. Both boyfriend and girlfriend sighed identical sighs, glanced at each other and let out short laughs._

"_You'd think Hermione had dumped him, the way he's acting." Ginny grinned, moving closer to Harry and resting her head briefly on his shoulder, her smile only widening as he pressed a kiss to her hair. _

"_She did." He said; amusement evident in his voice. "She dumped him for her books, today at least."_

"_It's really a Hermione sort of thing to do." Ginny joked. "Can we go to Flourish and Botts? All this talk of Hermione has reminded me I need to get a textbook Professor McGonagall recommended."_

"_Then let's go to Madam Puddifoot's." Harry suggested, smirking as Ginny's jaw dropped. "I like a bit of romance, me."_

_Ginny burst into hysterical giggles, struggling to quench them under his insulted gaze. "Sorry, sorry – I just – I never thought you'd want to step a foot in there again after your disastrous date with Cho!"_

"_Oh, right." Harry nodded. "I forgot that. Erm, let's not go there after all." He looked about to say more when he bent over double, clutching his forehead and grimacing in pain._

"_Harry!"_

"_Scar." Harry gasped out, meeting Ginny's worried brown eyes. "I think – Gin, Voldemort – he's _here_."_

Someone was holding her shoulders, and she leant into the embrace for several moments, shivering uncontrollably at the painful memory. The tears escaped from beneath her closed lids, skating down her cheeks, and she jerked away at the touch of a thumb wiping them away.

Glyn stared back at her, his face creased into a worried, guilty frown.

"Gin…"

"Don't call me that." Ginny snarled, the anger rising up inside her. "And get rid of him."

"Who?"

"_Glyn_, you idiot!" She snapped, scared by her own fury but unable to quench it. He backed away, his expression wary, and for a moment she thought that he was going to ignore her request, but then he had taken his wand out from his trouser pocket and had it pointed towards himself.

"_Finite incantatem._" The words were so soft she had to strain to hear them, and then he was changing. Brown hair shortened and darkened into black, eyes brightened from the dull grey into the vibrant green, his body thinning and growing slightly, and then there was that oh-so-familiar scar etching its way back into his forehead.

Harry stood in front of her, looking so real and alive, and Ginny didn't feel at all like she had expected to the first time she saw him again.

Her anger was being drowned by the surges of confusion and sorrow. She wasn't entirely sure whether she wanted to pummel her boyfriend into a pulp or throw herself at him sobbing.

In the end, he made the decision for her.

"I'm – I'm so sorry, Ginny."

"Oh, you are, are you?" She queried mockingly, folding her arms. "I should expect so, after everything you've done. Where do I start, Harry? I can't even begin to comprehend where to begin to tell you everything."

He bit down hard on his lower lip. "I – I wanted to tell you…"

"No, you bloody well didn't!" Ginny screeched. "I said I heard you last night – it was _Ness_ that wanted to tell me, you wanted to keep it secret! How long would you have kept it secret from me? My entire stay? Would you have waited until I had gone home and then turned up pretending you hadn't been living right under my very nose? Would you have lied to me _that long_?"

"No, I – I _did_ want to, but I was worried that you'd – that you'd react like _this_!"

"And with good reason." She spat out. "My God, Harry. I just – you've been larking around this long, having a bloody good laugh with those precious girls next door and your beloved Healer, while me and my family have been worrying ourselves _sick_ over you. While _I've_ been feeling guilty for having a good time when I thought you were all sad and broody somewhere _alone_!"

Harry's expression darkened. "It's not always been like that." He informed her coolly. "If you knew what I was like when I woke up in St Mungo's…"

"_You never gave me a chance_!" Ginny screamed at him, and he fell silent, eyes wide and horrified. He had heard of Ginny's infamous temper from her brothers and parents, even witnessed some of it, but the rage that was radiating off her… she was literally bubbling up with anger, and he took a reflexive step backwards. "You just buggered off without bothering to talk to us! We could have helped, we could have – we could have done _something_!"

"I didn't think you'd understand." Harry mumbled. It was evidently a very wrong thing to say; Ginny's brown eyes sparked furiously and for one terrible moment he thought she was going to lay a punch right on his nose. Instead, she folded her arms and stared him down, evidently trying to stop herself from doing what he had thought she was going to do.

"I can understand you wanted space, Harry." She said finally, her voice trembling with emotion. "But to ignore letters – when all people are doing is worrying about you – and to just leave without saying goodbye? Did you – do you really have so little faith in us to think that we wouldn't understand when you wanted to be alone?"

Her breath hitched and she lowered her head for several moments, her hair falling in her face. "And then to have the audacity to try and pry out of me personal things – _private_ things – when you're quite literally lying to my face?"

A cold dread gripped Harry's stomach and twisted it painfully. "I was just worried about you, Gin… and with good reason, those flashbacks…"

"Are none of your business."

"No, they _are_!" Harry insisted, shaking his head. "If I hadn't left…"

"Oh, don't think so highly of yourself, Potter." Ginny snarled, and Harry flinched back slightly. "I know why I have these flashbacks, and they're nothing to do with you, so therefore they are none of your business. And you have quite a bloody cheek to try and ask me about them when you refuse to open up yourself." She bit down hard on her lower lip, stifling a sob at the look on his face. The face she had missed so dearly, the face she had spent every night dreaming of seeing again…

_Dreams are never the same as reality_, she thought wryly. She had imagined an idealistic relationship with Harry – and it had been, up until the Hogsmeade attack. Sure, they had had their arguments, but overcome them within no more than a week despite both being incredibly stubborn. This was different, though.

"Why are you here?" She asked suddenly, staring at him. Harry frowned; her tone was almost conversational, and those weren't the words he though would come out of her mouth.

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. What is so important here that you felt you had to run off without saying goodbye, ignoring all our letters and generally being a prick?"

Harry swallowed hard, her final statement hurting more than he had expected it to. In their past fights, they had called each other a colourful variety of names, but never truly meant them – but from the look in Ginny's eyes, he knew she couldn't have been more serious if she'd tried.

"It's a long story."

"Don't give me that crap!" Ginny barked out, stomping her foot in a childish manner. "Either you're going to tell me, or you're not! Why are you here? What – what's the reason behind all this?"

Green eyes stared fixatedly at the floor; Ginny let out a small puff of breath and leant backwards, hurt flickering across her face.

"You obviously don't trust me enough to tell me."

"What? _No_!" Harry shot upright, staring at her in shock. "Ginny, _no_, I trust you more than anyone, it's just – I _can't_!"

"Why not?"

"It's too hard, all right!" Harry yelled, his already frayed nerves snapping. "Please, don't ask me to explain it all right now – I will, I promise, I just can't – not _now_!"

"You promised you'd come back." Ginny said softly, her eyes glittering with tears. "Were you going to come back, Harry?"

He stared at her incredulously. "Of all the – bloody – what kind of question is that?" He demanded, sounding uncannily like his long time best friend and Ginny's brother. "I can't believe – I love you, you great nitwit, of course I was going to come back! You have that little faith in me that because of some blasted psychopath that I killed I'd ruin what we have?"

Ginny couldn't stop the wry smile from twisting across her lips.

_Do you really have so little faith in us to think that we wouldn't understand when you wanted to be alone?_

"It seems that we're lacking in quite a lot of faith recently." She said finally, quietly, and opened the bedroom door. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone."

"Ginny… please…"

With a sudden, surprising snarl of anger, she gave him a hefty push out the door and slammed it after him, locking it and leaning back against it. Finally, she allowed the tears to flow freely, wondering whether it would ever end, whether it would ever get better.

**V I V I V**

"Letter from Ginny!" Ron bellowed, waving the said piece of parchment between his fingers as he swallowed the remainder of his toast and took a swallow of pumpkin juice.

"No need to shout, dear, we're right here." Molly said absently, taking a sip of her tea and peering over the rim of the cup at him. Her husband, deeply immersed in the _Daily Prophet_, glanced up briefly, meeting his wife's twinkling gaze. "What does she say, Ron?"

Ron scanned the parchment eagerly, not noticing the look that passed between his parents. Despite being legally an adult, he was still unwilling to admit if he missed his brothers or sister, and it was obvious from the way he had been acting all summer and after Ginny's departure that he was feeling rather lonely without her around.

"She says it's bloody hot." He announced to the room at large, completely forgetting who he was in fact talking to. Molly merely frowned gently at him whilst Arthur let out a small chuckle. "And that the Empath Healer is good, though quite hyperactive – blimey, I can see how that might get in the mornings." He pulled a face.

"Drifting, dear." Molly reminded him.

"Right. She says she's living with some – _what!_"

"What?" Molly jumped, sending her scalding tea all over her husband's newspaper. "Oh, sorry Arthur – here – _evanesco_." Stowing her wand safely back in her apron pocket, she turned back to her son. "What's the matter, Ron?"

"Living with some bloke, that's what!" Ron spluttered, his pasty complexion turning a furious red. "Says he's my age – quite handsome, I bet he's a right ponce!"

"Ron, that's enough!" Molly said hurriedly, seeing her son continue to ramble incoherently. "What do you mean; she's living with a boy?"

"Her housemate is some bloke! You have to go and get her, Mum; she can't live with a guy, who knows what might happen?"

Arthur let out another chuckle. At his wife and son's glares, he hastily retreated behind his newly cleaned newspaper, clearing his throat uncomfortable.

"May I remind you that Ginny is also living with a Healer – a responsible adult?" Molly informed Ron, who had the grace to flush. "Boys can be just friends with girls, Ron. Harry and Hermione, for example. And while we're on that subject, do you really think that Ginny would do something like that to Harry?"

"She says…" Ron continued, looking queasy. "She says that he's 'fit' and – ugh, that she's looking forward to _getting to know him_."

"She's just teasing you." Molly sighed, shaking her head and not bothering to hide her smile. She certainly did sympathise with Ginny – having six over-protective older brothers didn't bode well with any relationship.

Ron let out an unintelligible grunt and dropped the parchment down onto the kitchen table, looking disgruntled. Molly reached for it and scanned through it eagerly, feeling a pang of sorrow at seeing Ginny's neat, curly script. There was no mention of how Ginny herself was doing, which didn't sound like a good sign, but she had only just left the Burrow. From the sounds of things, her only daughter at least liked Venice, and was adjusting slowly. Taking in a deep breath, Molly wondered how she managed to miss Ginny so much when her children were away at school for the majority of the year.

**V I V I V**

Ness stopped in her tracks, staring in shock at the Famous Boy Who Lived sitting calmly in her living room, idly flicking through a book though not reading it at all. "Oh!" She exclaimed loudly, causing Harry to jump violently and send the book flying sky high. "Blimey – erm – wow."

"Oh, Merlin." Harry groaned, snatched his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at himself. "_Vultus diversus_."

Ness managed to snap her jaw shut just in time as Glyn came back into focus, and blushed furiously. "Sorry, Glyn." She muttered embarrassedly as he glared at her.

"I think that's the first time I've rendered you speechless." Harry teased, though there was still a flicker of irritation showing in his grey eyes. Ness turned even redder, if that were possible, and shifted uncomfortably.

"I was just taken off guard, that's all!" She protested. "I'm not one of your mindless girl fans, I thought you knew that. I wasn't expecting to see – well, I've never seen _you_ in the flesh, but I've seen you… but it's a different you, even though it's the same…"

"Please, stop." Harry raised his hands in the air in mock-surrender, and though he grinned cheekily at her, she couldn't help but notice it was rather forced. Seeing her concerned expression, he shrugged nonchalantly. "I – uh, I spoke to Ginny. It didn't go down too well."

"I know."

"You do?" He glanced at her in surprise. "How?"

"She spoke to me about half an hour – she was pretty upset." Ness said apologetically. "Asked if she could go home for a while, sort her head out."

Harry did a double take, his eyes widening. "_What_?"

"She's gone, Glyn." Ness said, wincing. She held out a folded piece of parchment. "I'm sorry – I don't know for how long, but I didn't want to force her to stay if she didn't want to. I think she'll probably be back – if I know Molly Weasley, she won't let these flashbacks and Ginny's attitude carry on."

With trembling hands, furious at Ginny for going without at least telling him, Harry took the parchment off her and unfolded it. The words on there sent his heart plummeting to his stomach and the guilt brimming up inside him again.

'_Here's a goodbye in a note, Harry. Now you know how I felt.'_


	9. Memories

**Title: **Losing Faith

**Summary: **It's the summer after Ginny's sixth year, and Voldemort is dead. But still, things are not how they should be. How will everyone cope now that the worst threat is over? HG RHr

**Genre: **Angst/Drama

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **It's all JK Rowling's. 'Nuff said.

**V I V I V**

_**MEMORIES**_

Clenching his fist tightly, nails breaking his skin, the note that Ginny had left Harry crumpled in his grasp and Harry swore under his breath, aware that the healer was still in the room. Watching him through concerned dark eyes, Ness bit down slightly on her lower lip, obviously waiting to see whether their months of hard work had paid off. In return, he glared furiously at her and bit back several more swear words that would have had Aunt Petunia washing his mouth out with soap, instead turning on his heel and stomping towards the staircase.

"Glyn… Harry… oh, bugger it." Ness said crossly, sounding frustrated. "Can I go back to calling you Harry now, please? Ginny knows who you are and she's not about to go spreading your location around to Death Eaters, no matter how mad she is."

Harry kept his mouth shut for several more moments, realising that if he dared try and open it then Ness would find herself at the end of a berate that shouldn't be aimed at her at all. Instead, he nodded tersely, before slumping onto the couch and burying his head in his hands. A slight pressure at the other end of the sofa told him that the healer had also sat down and not for the first time he cursed his inability to have any privacy whatsoever.

"Ness, can I – I just want to be alone for a bit, please?"

"Oh no." Ness refused, typically, as she always seemed to when he was at his most distressed. "You're not getting away with it that easily. Harry, Ginny deserves an explanation, and it's not fair to either of you – who knows what she's been led to believe, and you'll both end up saying things that will hurt each other… you need to let her know the truth, now."

"You think I dare step into the Burrow after – that?" Harry demanded, shuddering. "With all her brothers? No, I'd quite like to stay alive, strange as that sounds."

He was aware that his words were bitter and harsh, and felt almost guilty at Ness' flinch, but then recalled the mixture of emotions he had felt upon realising Ginny had gone.

"Damn it, she just _had_ to teach me a lesson." He snarled at the floor, feeling inexplicably furious at Ginny, then overwhelmingly guilty at the fact that she had simply done what he had done to her. The anger bubbled back on him and he gritted his teeth, struggling to keep himself under control. The floor was heating beneath his bare feet; he realised, and held his breath. Ness, realising the temperature rise, stared at him through wide eyes.

The anger slowly subsided into a sick feeling in his stomach, though the floor remained warm, and he let out a long sigh of relief. Ness' face split into a smile.

"I think you're ready, Harry."

"Oh, great." Harry snarled. "Ready just when my girlfriend appears, traumatized and stressed because of _me_. Ready just when she realises what a fraud I am, just in time for everything that I worked and fought for to go to hell!"

"You really think that?" She asked softly, folding her arms and raising her eyebrows at him. "Ginny is really the only person you worked and fought for?"

"Well, no." Harry relented. "But – Ron is her brother, he's going to take her side, and Hermione's his girlfriend, she'll take his side, and the whole Weasley family will just – they'll hate me, just like Ginny does."

It was Ness' turn to swear; unlike Harry, she didn't do it under her breath but rather loudly and explicitly, earning a shocked stare from the younger boy.

"For crying out loud, this isn't a playground fight! You're all supposed to be adults, and your friends and Ginny's family shouldn't be taking sides!"

"Maybe not, but they'll hate me for ditching them and ignoring their letters for months on end." Harry amended, almost smiling as he watched Ness bite down hard on her lower lip to stop herself from swearing again.

"Not if you explain to them why you did it! Yes, they'll probably still be angry at the way you dealt with it, but they'll get over it, Harry, as will you. So, go to Ginny, and explain to her – explain to her exactly what happened."

He sank back into the sofa cushions, rubbing a weary hand through his hair. "I don't know if she's even gone back to the Burrow." He said haltingly. "Did you make her a Portkey? Where to?"

"Portkeys have to be approved by the Ministry, Harry." Ness said patiently. He frowned at her.

"Well, it must have taken you a while to get it approved – how'd you get it done so fast?"

"I didn't."

Not for the first time, he wondered if she had taken lessons from Albus Dumbledore in how to be evasive. There was that crafty look back in her eye that told him she knew far more than she was letting on.

"Ginny can't apparate, she's not seventeen until next week, so – how'd she get home?"

"For the guy who defeated the darkest lord in centuries, you really are slow, Potter." A chilly voice came from the top of the stairs. Emitting a yelp of surprise, Harry leapt to his feet and caught the gaze of a pair of serious, hurt brown eyes.

"_Ginny_!"

He felt as if he were seeing her for the first time since he had left England, rather than the awkward, strange greeting they had where he had pretended to be a complete stranger. She inclined her head and slowly came down the stairs, Ness disappearing from the room respectfully.

"You're lucky I'm underage so I can't hex you, Potter." Ginny said, though he could have sworn he heard a tiny hint of a joke in her voice. She folded her arms and tapped her foot against the ground. "As it is, I spoke to Ness and she said that I should hear you out. Merlin knows why – you made a screw up of the explanation the first two times. First in a letter, second as a complete stranger, but I'll give you a third chance. Final chance, Harry." Her eyes glistened. "I've had enough of games, and I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself. So tell me, and tell me the truth – why did you leave? Why could you not let the people that care about you know where you were, what you were doing – what was so secretive?"

He hesitated, and Ginny made to move towards the kitchen. Hastily, Harry held up his hand. "No, no, I will say – I'll tell you everything, but – it's a long story, and I don't think – I've got a better idea." He dashed towards the bookcase and drew a large, circular bowl from behind a stack of books, holding it as if it were made of glass. Ginny peered at it.

"Is that a pensieve?"

"Yep – Ness uses it, to – well, it's a whole lot easier to deal with things by replaying them than talking about them, because – I'm a bit useless at talking." Harry said, to which the redhead let out an unladylike snort.

"Yeah. I've noticed." She said dryly, smirking, though her eyebrows shot sky high as he pressed his wand to his temple. "What are you doing!"

"My memories." Harry said patiently, and a long, thick, silver strand of some glossy substance hung from his wand for several seconds before dropping into the bowl.

"You're – you're going to show me." Ginny said slowly.

"I know you didn't see the final battle." Harry replied, cautiously, looking apologetic. "And – what happened when I woke up in St. Mungo's. I think – you might be able to understand better if you see it first hand."

Ginny clenched her fists tightly, her heart thumping at the thought of seeing Hogsmeade blown to smithereens, the death of one of her best friends, the utter destroying of what little remained of her inner child, her innocence. Seeing Harry was about to put his hand over hers, she drew them away, stubbornly refusing to show her distress.

He had been there, she reminded herself forcefully. He had not only witnessed it, but been a major part of it. She could do this. She could be strong, and deal, just like he had.

Realising that Harry was holding the Pensieve out to her expectantly, Ginny took a deep breath, struggling to calm herself down, and advanced on it, her heart thumping.

"If you want, I'll go in with you." Harry said, seeing her hesitation, and shrinking back as if he expected her to bite his head off for suggesting she was weak, for suggesting she couldn't handle it alone.

Perhaps, if the situation hadn't been so serious, she might have been irritated, and even though she was still furious at him, she couldn't stop herself from nodding an agreement. Even more carefully, he took her hand and she grasped it tightly, for a moment imagining that they were back at Hogwarts sitting in the common room simply relishing each other's company.

Then they dived into Harry's memories, and that comforting, peaceful scene was never to be seen again.

**V I V I V**

_Harry tumbled out of the fireplace into the Three Broomsticks, gasping with relief as the sound of alarms going off in Grimmauld Place echoed behind him. He had been just in time. A surge of guilt overwhelmed him at the realisation he had left Ginny behind, no doubt already worried sick, but he was tired of hiding, waiting for Voldemort to strike again only for him to get away but for others to die in his place._

Ginny hadn't used a Pensieve before, but Harry had, and from the way he described it to her, it was simply as if they were ghosts, watching on, unseen and unable to do anything to change the events that were occurring. Yet somehow she kept getting hints of the past Harry's emotions, so small that she had to try hard to sense them, but they were there all right. Frowning, she glanced to her left; present-day Harry watched on with a calm gaze, as if he had seen it many times before. Swallowing, she found a small smile grace her lips as he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

_The pub was deserted; it didn't look as if it had been attacked, but its occupants had simply run for safety, whether into the Muggle streets, by Floo or Apparation, Harry didn't know. He pushed open the door leading out into Hogsmeade and narrowly avoided a dangerous spell, shooting through the open doorway and hitting the wall harmlessly. There were shouts, screams, so much more terrifying than he remembered when he and Ginny had been transported out of there, and his heart dropped to the very soles of his shoes._

Ginny shivered at the waves of terror coming off the past Harry. He always managed to put on such a brave front, that once upon a time she had considered him fearless, but she hadn't been more wrong. Somehow, it made her feel better. Silently, she and present day Harry followed the other Harry out into the smoke-clogged streets, tinged with the scent of blood and dirt and death. Almost instantly the past Harry was shooting spells left right and center, shouting to his friends from Hogwarts, steadily ignoring all attempts from the Order to get him back to safety.

"_Potter!" Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody snarled, clumping over to the boy and shooting a Stunning Spell over his shoulder at a Death Eater advancing. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be at Headquarters!"_

"_I'm sick of having people fight my battles for me, Moody." Harry replied evenly. Moody's eyebrows shot sky-high._

"_This isn't just your battle, lad, whether the prophecy thinks so or not. You shouldn't take it upon yourself to think that you have to fight alone, because it ain't gonna happen."_

"_Regardless," Harry continued, ducking a spell that grazed the top of his head and then carrying on the conversation as if had never happened. "I'm the one who's supposed to kill Voldemort, and I'm tired of him coming after me only for me to escape yet again. I'm never going to be ready for something like this; might as well get it over with now, before anyone else gets hurt."_

Ginny swallowed the lump in her throat, tears stinging at her eyes. She could sense it; Harry had really expected to die that day.

_Moody hesitated, and then pointed a scarred arm towards the Hogsmeade fountain. "The bastard's that way." He said, smiling slightly, something that didn't quite fit on his face. "Get 'im good for us, lad."_

_Harry forced a smile in return and ran forward, aiming towards the fountain, ducking and twisting and spiraling away from curses, barely making a cry as there came the sickening sound of bones crunching in his left arm, a bloodied slash across his side._

"Oh, Harry." Ginny couldn't help but whisper sadly as past-Harry's eyes caught Luna's, just in time to see her fall in wake of a Killing Curse, her own eyes no longer twinkling with life and excitement and everything that Luna was. Past Harry let out a shout of denial, tears already starting to fall. Ginny's heart wrenched painfully at the sight of Luna's dead body, at the fact she had just seen her die, and she turned to bury her head into present Harry's shoulder, uncaring that she was supposed to be angry at him.

His grip on her hand tightened. "Do you want to go back?" He asked quietly, but she shook her head, sniffed and raised her gaze back to past Harry.

"No."

"_Potter." A silky voice whispered, and Harry fell to his knees with a cry of pain, clutching at his scar, scratching at it with his fingernails as if he were trying to get rid of it. Voldemort was here, Voldemort was standing mere feet in front of him, a look of ugly triumph on his face at the sight of his enemy writhing before him._

"Fight him, Harry, come on." Ginny whispered involuntarily, unaware of the small smile that present Harry shot her, and she let out a small whoop of glee as past Harry struggled to his feet, green eyes blazing with determination. She realised, suddenly, that she had no idea how the battle had ended; _how_, in fact, had Harry defeated the Darkest Wizard in centuries?

Past Harry didn't waste his time with useless, mindless banter, instead raising his wand to Voldemort's face with a steady gaze, shutting out all fear and showing only his longing for revenge.

"_Legilimens_!"

_Before Voldemort could aim a curse, he was stumbling backwards, his narrow red eyes slit closed and mouth twisted into a grimace. Harry's wand arm trembled rapidly, and it was an obvious effort to keep the spell going, sweating with effort and a pained frown on his brow. _

"What are you doing? What is that spell?" Ginny asked, shaken by the image of Voldemort and Harry face to face. Harry looked down at her in surprise, as if he had forgotten she were there.

"The spell that Snape used to teach me Occlumency." He explained. "It's the intrusion spell – to get into the opponent's mind."

Ginny couldn't stop the gasp from escaping her lips. "You – went into Voldemort's _mind_? Are you _insane_?"

"It was the only way." Harry shrugged, and turned to look at his past self who was still struggling to hold the connection, looking on the verge of passing out. "I went into his mind, and did as Dumbledore had suggested. I gave Voldemort memories of something he had never experienced."

"Love." Ginny whispered, pressing her hands to her mouth. Harry nodded.

"I gave him memories of love, and it was bloody hard, considering how experienced he is at Occlumency. Took me ages to get through his barriers, but I did, and then…" He motioned back towards past Harry and the past, now deceased Voldemort, just as Voldemort summoned up the last of his strength to throw Harry viciously from his mind, bellowing in rage. Death Eaters and Aurors alike had paused in their fighting, completely astonished to see the Darkest Wizard in centuries weakened by a seventeen-year-old boy.

"_It's over, Tom." Harry said quietly, his voice hoarse and cracked, and with one final moment of strength and magic, uttered the words that had killed his parents… Cedric… Sirius… so many countless others who had done nothing wrong. "Avada kedavra!"_

_Then Voldemort and Harry fell together, silently, tumbling without grace to the ground churned up by spells and thick with blood-mixed dirt, and all hell broke loose once more._

With an unpleasant twist of her stomach Ginny found herself sitting back on the sofa in Ness' villa, her hand still in Harry's, staring at the bowl of swirling memories in horror.

"Oh God…" She murmured, her boyfriend's memories coming back to her in stifling waves, and, snatching her hand from his grasp, she stumbled for the bathroom, unable to do much more than retch unpleasantly into the toilet bowl and wish, for the thousandth time, for it to be over. At some point she heard Ness enter and hand her a glass of water, then leave without ever saying a word, which Ginny was grateful for. Slumping against the wall, she swiped at her sore eyes, shivering, and automatically leant into the arm that Harry wrapped around her shoulder, though she didn't remember him even coming in.

"I'm sorry." He murmured into her hair. "You weren't ready – I shouldn't have…"

"No, no." Ginny shook her head fiercely. "I – it was just hard, seeing – _him_, and Luna, and then you… I thought it was bad when we were sent back to Grimmauld Place, but – it was ten times worse, I don't know how you managed to stand it!"

"I didn't think about it." He replied softly. "I just concentrated on getting to Voldemort, and doing what had to be done."

"And you did it." Ginny said, and a strange, warm feeling bubbled up in her stomach as she realised that it was a feeling of pride – after everything, she was _proud_, because he had done it, he had saved them all but he hadn't done it because he was brave or heroic but he had done it because he had been given the task and he wasn't going to run away from it when so many people's lives were at risk. "Harry, those memories… you said, you gave him feelings of love, and…"

"I don't think you really need to ask what the memories were of." Harry said, and his eyes pleaded with her not to ask. She nodded, understanding, and got to her feet shakily, shrugging his arm off. He looked up at her anxiously.

"I still don't understand why you left." Ginny informed him, but she couldn't use the cold tone she had used earlier because she hadn't understood what he had gone through at the Hogsmeade attack, why it had been so terrible that he had cut himself off from everyone. "Or why you came to an Empath Healer, of all people, but… you will tell me, right?"

"I will." Harry promised, anxiously. "But – not now. I can't, not yet."

She nodded, offered him a small smile, and left the bathroom with her head held high. Ness was sitting on the sofa the two of them had previously vacated, and jumped up at her young charge's entrance.

"Ginny, are you okay? Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine." Ginny replied automatically, her gaze flitting to the Pensieve lying abandoned on the coffee table. Ness followed her gaze, dark eyes narrowing.

"He used the Pensieve?" At Ginny's nod, the Healer swore rapidly and shook her head in dismay. "That's not always the best technique for everyone – it can just make things so much worse – what did he show you?"

"The Hogsmeade attack." Ginny told her. "All of it." Ness swore again. "What?"

"Ginny, you're having problems _because _of the attack!" The older woman exclaimed, throwing her hands up into the air. "To see the entire thing – it could make things so much worse!"

"I don't think so." Ginny said automatically. "I feel – I don't know, I could only imagine the terrible things that happened at Hogsmeade after I left, and the fact that I didn't know… I kept thinking worse and worse things."

Ness didn't look convinced. "Well, if he wants to use that damned thing again, he'll be asking me first." And, pulling her wand out of her robes pocket, she waved it at the Pensieve, which flickered then vanished. She turned concerned eyes back on Ginny. "Are you sure you feel okay?"

"Fine!" Ginny exclaimed, exasperated, and smothered a grin as she remembered how many times she; Hermione and Ron had asked Harry that and how he had snapped back in return.

She realised that it no longer hurt to think about him.

**V I V I V**

Hermione stepped through the fireplace into the Burrow, frowning slightly as her boyfriend bore down on her, waving a scroll of parchment excitedly. "What is it, Ron? You said it was an emergency?" Her eyes fell upon the parchment. "You dragged me away for a _letter_?"

"Not just any letter, Hermione." Ron said slowly, enunciating his words carefully. Her eyes widened as she recognised the writing immediately.

"_Harry_ wrote?"

"About bloody time, too!" Ron yelped, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"You really need to stop swearing so much." Hermione retorted, snatching the letter out of his hands and scanning through it.

"Hey, I've not read it yet!" Ron protested, snatching it back. She stared at him in bewilderment as he flushed red. "Well, I just recognised the handwriting, and – it was addressed to both of us, so I thought we'd – you know, read it together."

"Oh." Hermione said blankly, before a smile stretched across her face. Ron had obviously matured so much; a few years ago he would have casually mentioned Harry's letter a week or so after he had received it.

"Or, I kind of forgot to read it because I was just so happy he actually wrote to us." Ron amended, his cheeks going even redder. Hermione couldn't help the snort from escaping her lips.

Maybe not _entirely _mature.

"Dear Hermione and Ron," Ron read aloud, and scowled. "How come I'm after you? Don't I matter as much?"

"Give that here!" Hermione cried, snatching it back for the second time. "Read it sensibly, won't you?" She took a deep breath and sank into one of the kitchen chairs, her eyes scanning it. "Dear Hermione and Ron," she repeated. "I'm sorry it's taken me so long to write and that I haven't replied to any of your letters. I'm also sorry that it took a surprise visit from Ginny to get my ass back into gear and actually get in contact with you."

"_Ginny_!" Both of them chorused together, jaws dropping.

"When did Ginny visit? And how did she know where he is?" Ron asked frantically, looking towards Hermione. She glared at him.

"I'm as much in the know as you, _Ronald_."

Ron took the letter out of her hands and continued. "I'm not going to tell you where I am, because I have a feeling I'll be visiting soon. What does he mean, visiting? Visiting who?"

"He means us." Hermione said in horrified comprehension. "Ron, he – he doesn't have anywhere to call home anymore. He can't say he'll be home soon, because… he doesn't have one!"

"Of course he does, right here at the Burrow." Ron said impatiently.

"No." Hermione winced. "I mean, he's only been at the Burrow for holidays. He's only _visited _the Burrow; he's never lived here, has he? How can he call it a home if he's never lived in it?"

Ron cursed loudly and vividly. "We'll just have to change that – and I'm sure Mum'll agree plenty."

Hermione nodded absently, motioning towards the letter. "What else does he say?"

"I just want to say that I'm sorry for upping and leaving with just a lousy letter, but I promise I'll explain everything when we next see each other. Feel free to pummel me all you like… I probably deserve it." Ron grunted. "Now he's given me permission, it's not going to be as fun. Git." At his girlfriend's glare, he returned his gaze to the parchment. "I'll see you both soon, take care, and I really am sorry. Love, Harry."

"I don't know what Ginny did." Hermione said, staring at the letter. "Or how she managed to find him, but – it's going to be okay now, Ron."

"It is." Ron smiled, dropping the letter onto the table and leaning across it to kiss her. "We'll be all right now."


	10. Bittersweet

**Title: **Losing Faith

**Summary: **It's the summer after Ginny's sixth year, and Voldemort is dead. But still, things are not how they should be. How will everyone cope now that the worst threat is over? HG RHr

**Genre: **Angst/Drama

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **It's all JK Rowling's. 'Nuff said.

**A/N: **A New Year present to you all – the tenth chapter! (sucky as it is grin) I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year – thank you my lovely reviewers, for I have got past the 50 review mark! Also, apologies for the Italian – I'm pretty sure it's wrong as I'm once again relying on online translators.

**V I V I V**

_**BITTERSWEET **_

Though Ginny had suspected she would once again have a sleepless night, with the appearance of her boyfriend and the fact that he was only two rooms away, the strained and emotional day had left her exhausted and she fell into a deep slumber almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. She was rudely and abruptly woken late the next morning by shrill, piercing giggling that reminded her too much of Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown who had been in the year above her in Hogwarts.

The giggling paused for only a few seconds before it was replaced by equally high-pitched, female Italian chatter. Ginny groaned and pushed the covers aside in defeat, realising she wasn't going to get anymore sleep that day. She bathed and dressed as slowly as possible, hoping inwardly that the four neighbours would have gone home by the time she had finished. Descending the narrow staircase, Ginny let out a sigh of relief at the sound of blissful silence from the kitchen that quickly turned to another groan of dismay as the chatter started up once more.

"Che cosa è accaduto a quella ragazza inglese?"

"Ginny? È ancora qui."

Ears perking up at the sound of her name being used in vain, Ginny almost slid into the kitchen, her socked feet slippery on the marble floor. Flushing at seeing all eyes land on her, she gave a small wave and offered a smile, wondering whether she could remember any of the Italian that she had tried to teach herself in the week before she had arrived.

"Er, ciao."

"Ciao!" One of the girls returned brightly, and Ginny frantically searched her brain to remember the right name. "You are, eh, enjoying Italy?"

"Oh… sì." Ginny stumbled. "Sì, it is very beautiful."

She paused, glancing around the kitchen, and saw that Harry was nowhere in sight; Ness and the four Italian girls were sat around the kitchen table, nursing cups of iced tea.

"Tea, Ginny?" Ness asked, pulling out the empty chair next to her and motioning for the redhead to take a seat. Reluctantly, Ginny sat down, shaking her head in the negative.

"No, I'm not really a fan of tea – I could do with a coffee, though."

The house-elf appeared next to her a mere half-second later, holding a large mug of coffee in her long, thin hands, and placed it on the table in front of Ginny before blushing shyly at Ginny's 'thank you' and disappearing once more. She stared into the swirling liquid, breathing in the hot steam, and wishing that the girls didn't have to stare at her quite so much. She searched her brain for something remotely intelligible to say, though her sparse Italian failed her completely.

"Do you – attend a wizarding school, or are you home-schooled?" She asked finally, rather lamely, she thought.

"I start at Hogwarts in September." Carlotta said in her thick Italian accent proudly, holding herself up tall. Ginny started in surprise.

"Hogwarts? But – there are surely more than three magical schools in the world!"

"Of course!" Rosa piped up; looking shocked that Ginny could suggest such a thing. "There are many, _many_ _magico _schools in the world – why, Gina and I go to Sherminau, that is in Venice but very small and cannot take any more witches, so Carlotta's parents have had to find her somewhere else to go, and we have heard good things about Hogwarts, so she has been enrolled there."

"I go to Hogwarts." Ginny nodded, smiling at the small girl. "I will probably see you there."

Carlotta clapped her hands gleefully. "That would be much pleasant!"

"And I do not attend this – magico school." Anna spoke up in her quiet voice, looking uncomfortable. "I am – how you say – non-magical."

"A Muggle?" Ginny asked, astonished. "But – they are all your cousins? Magic runs in your blood, doesn't it?"

"Gina is my sister." Anna nodded. "And she is magical, and so are my parents, but I have never – shown such an ability."

Ginny wisely kept her mouth shut, silently wondering how she would feel if she, out of all her brothers, were the only one who did not possess any magic. Suppressing a shudder, she drained her coffee, not liking the thought at all.

"Good morning, girls." A male voice said cheerfully, and Ginny almost fell off her chair as Harry sauntered into the room, grinning around at them all. To her utmost surprise, two of the Italian girls did just that, whilst Carlotta jumped to her feet and pointed at him, babbling incoherently in Italian. She noticed that Anna sat quietly, just frowning in confusion at Harry.

"Harry." Ness muttered. "Your – _appearance_ – has changed somewhat."

Realisation dawned on both Harry and Ginny, who tried in vain to smother her giggles as, in a panic, Harry frantically waved his wand across his face and he merged into the strange features of Glyn.

"Glyn! But – where is that – that strange boy!" Anna blurted out, looking astonished.

"He is the Harry Potter!" Carlotta stammered out. "But for he is Glyn, too!"

"Damn it." Harry muttered, slumping into the chair that Rosa had previously vacated.

"Can someone tell me what is going on, please?" Anna demanded.

Ness took one look at Ginny's amused face and Harry's despondent one, and let off a stream of Italian to the four girls. Their hysteria gradually diminished and, as one, they rose to their feet.

"Ness has told us why – who – what is going on, Glyn." Gina said haltingly. "We must go now, for our lunch is waiting, and we know that you have work to do – but we shall speak soon, yes?"

"Mm-hmm." Harry-Glyn muttered, forcing a smile, and let his head drop to the table as the back door closed behind the last of them. "I forgot."

Ginny chuckled heartily. "I think that was obvious."

"Shut up, Ginny." Harry said into the table wearily.

"It's your own fault for being so careless." Ginny snapped back, feeling the irritation rise again. Harry lifted his head to stare at her, looking torn between confusion and mild betrayal; after all, Ginny realised wryly, she _had_ been laughing somewhat only seconds beforehand.

"I've had a lot on my mind recently; besides, how was I to know that they were going to come around today?"

"Oh, here we go again." Ginny folded her arms and sat back in her chair, scowling. "You're getting as bad as Ron; why can't you just admit that you made a mistake?"

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Are we even talking about the glamour anymore?"

"_Yes_!" Ginny snarled, and whirled on Ness when the brunette gave a distinct snort. "What was that for?"

"Nothing, nothing." Ness raised her hands hastily in a gesture of defeat. "I just think that we have plenty to work through; and not just magically wise."

"You're not a psychologist." Ginny started, huffing. "If you think that I'm going to be crying all over Harry saying how _upset_ I was and how _betrayed _I felt and how _guilty_ I felt all the time, then you've… what?" She trailed off upon realising she was being stared at. "What?"

"You felt guilty?" Harry said in a strangled voice.

"Only because I thought that you were moping around feeling sorry for yourself while I was having a good time." Ginny retorted. "But seeing as you've been living alone with a pretty older woman for the past three months, I guess I had no reason to be."

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she immediately regretted them. Ness turned a succinct shade of red that was unnatural against her dark skin tone, while Harry leapt to his feet, equally red.

"How can you – how _dare_ you suggest such a thing?"

"I didn't _suggest_ anything; I was simply stating a fact." Ginny narrowed her eyes. "You obviously have a reason to jump to such a conclusion."

Harry shook his head, throwing his arms up in the air in disgust. "I can't talk to you like this, Ginny." He told her, stepping away from the table. "I know you've got a perfectly good reason to be angry with me, but now you're just being completely unreasonable, and finding any excuse to pick a fight. Leave it alone."

"I don't think that was very wise." Ness said in careful tones minutes after Harry stormed out, her quiet voice breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Ginny scuffed her foot against the kitchen floor. "I don't care." She muttered in return.

"I think you do."

It was Ginny's turn to put her head down on the table, the grained wood cool against her forehead. "I'm sick of it." She told the piece of furniture, biting back the tears with a vengeance, fed up of crying. "I just want to go home and for things to be the way they were before the attack, but I don't because the prophecy was always looming over us and we were always scared that one of us was going to be killed. I just wish that I could skip all this emotional baggage stuff and just… move on."

"Can you do that?" Ness suddenly asked, and Ginny jumped, forgetting that the woman had been in the room. "Do you think that you can just go home, right now, with Harry, and… move on?"

Ginny hesitated for the smallest of seconds. "As long as he tells me exactly what happened to make him leave," she began, swallowing her pride. "Then yes. I just want it over now. I want it done."

**V I V I V**

Sitting on his bed, Harry kicked his heels against the mattress, scowling at the wall. _I don't understand girls at all_, he thought viciously. One minute his girlfriend – was she even his girlfriend anymore? – was smiling and laughing, and the next second she had thrown a fit that could rival even Molly Weasley's.

"_Be careful with what you say to her," _Ness had warned him the night before, and he had felt a spark of irritation.

"_I do know my own girlfriend, thank you very much_," he had almost snarled in response, and then felt immediately guilty, though Ness didn't look particularly hurt.

"_You've all changed because of the war-and Ginny's 'condition', so to speak… she's very temperamental because of these flashbacks, Harry, don't bait her."_

"_She's always been temperamental." _He had joked, but it had fallen flat at the serious look on Ness' face. _"Look, Ness, she doesn't like to be coddled, and I'm not going to, because that will just make even angrier."_

Ness had shrugged, turned away. _"You know her best_." She had said softly, and then left without another word.

A sharp knock on the door pulled Harry out of his thoughts and a tousled red head appeared. His heart leapt into his throat at the sheepish look on Ginny's face, the shy smile that had made him fall for her in the first place. He berated himself inwardly at the sudden thought that he hadn't even kissed her in months, and forced a smile onto his own face.

"Can you – can you get rid of – erm, the glamour?" Ginny asked carefully, waving vaguely at Harry's face. Startled, he glanced into the mirror to see that he was still sporting 'Glyn's' appearance and hastily waved his wand over himself.

"_Finite incantatem._"

"Thanks." Ginny perched on the edge of his bed, tracing her fingers across the patterns of the sheets. "Look, I'm – I know I was being irrational then, and to suggest that you and Ness – I'm sorry. I did trust you enough to know that you wouldn't ever…"

"Did?" Harry asked, a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I just… I don't know if I can trust you not to pull one of these stunts again."

"Stunts? This isn't a _stunt_, Ginny, this is serious, and if you think I did this for my own entertainment, then…"

"Okay, okay, wrong word." She shrugged, and Harry subsided.

"I didn't leave because I wanted to, all right? I had to. There wasn't any other choice. I'll admit it was nice to have a break from all the – from everything, but not from you, _never_ from you. God, it's never been so awful spending so much time away from you, but… I'm ready to go back now. I promise, I _promise_, I'll never leave you again."

Forcing his eyes up from where they were staring at an invisible spot on the wall, his heart sank even further to see Ginny's brown eyes glittering with tears. Was she going to break up with him?

"That's all I ask for, Harry." She said softly. "I don't want you to think that I'm – I'm incapable of – anything without you. I am independent, I'm just…"

Harry nodded. "I know. I understand. You managed, didn't you? We both managed."

"It was hard, but we did." She agreed.

"So… can we go?" He asked hesitantly. "Or do you have to stay, because of these – flashbacks."

"I don't think they're going to happen anymore." She told him after a complacent pause. "But _I'm_ not ready to go back yet." She gave him a wicked smile that he had missed so much. "After all, we _are_ in Venice. I'm not about to leave without exploring the place properly."

Harry let out a long sigh of relief that was cut off as soon as she hit him solidly on the side of his head. He only just resisted asking what that was for, suspecting she might hit him again for that.

"Don't think you're let off yet, Harry Potter." Ginny warned him. "I'm going to get the full story, don't you worry about that; and you still have my brothers, my parents, Mr. Lupin and Hermione to get through yet."

Harry groaned in horror. "Let's stay as long as you want." He suggested desperately, and was rewarded with a giggle from his girlfriend.

**V I V I V**

Ness watched her two young charges depart down the path towards the city, hand-in-hand, with a faint smile twisting on her lips. She had noticed that Harry had been ready to return to England for quite a while; it was Ginny's appearance that had made _him_ realise it. Ginny, however, was a different matter. Sighing, Ness closed the front door and retreated to the living room, sprawling across the sofa and flicking through a magazine absently. Despite Ginny's assurances, she knew that simply because the teenager was reunited with her boyfriend didn't mean that the flashbacks would stop.

They hadn't even been related to the boy until she had come to Venice and met up with him again.

Still in her early twenties, Ness had only had two charges previous to Harry, though her gift had meant she had spent many of her days at Hogwarts trying to analyse her friends and fellow students. It had irritated them all to no end; while her closest friends had learned to deal, it wasn't a surprise that Ness hadn't been popular – she hadn't quite learned the boundaries between helping and prying until she went into Healer training.

Ginny showed all the same signs as Harry had when he had first stood on her doorstep, traumatised and terrified. He had given nothing away about his childhood, though Ness suspected that something had happened to make him so wary about trusting her. Ginny's reaction when Ness had probed her on their arrival had been to push the Healer away, and try to give away as little as possible. Harry had steadfastly kept his mouth firmly shut for the first few weeks, insisting that he wanted to know her as a friend before he poured his heart out.

It was a good thing the boy was filthy rich, Ness smirked, remembering that it had been almost a month and a half before Harry had even begun to discuss the events that had led up to the downfall of the Dark Lord.

Perhaps Ginny would be more willing to divulge with Harry around, or maybe it would make it harder; either way, Ness wasn't keen to send the two back to England – or Ginny at least – without having done any work with the girl.

"Vanessa!"

A thickly-accented whisper came from somewhere near the doorway. Startled, Ness twisted around on the sofa, trying to decipher where the voice had come from. Carlotta's tousled head popped up from behind the sofa, almost making the woman cry out in surprise.

"Carlotta, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

After her initial shock she realised that the eleven-year-old's face was stained with tears and… _blood_? Her heart rate suddenly speeding up, she scrambled off the sofa and knelt before Carlotta. "What is it? What's happened? Are you bleeding?"

"I-it's all right, I just – I fell over." Carlotta hiccupped. "There are scary men in my house, Vanessa, and they're – they're _ruining _it, they'll make Mama and Papa so angry, their precious things!"

Ness took the small, sweaty hands in her own. "Where are your cousins, Carlotta?" She asked urgently.

"They – they went down to the shops, they said that I couldn't come." Carlotta replied, her small face twisting into a jealous frown. "Just because I'm littler than them! It's not fair!"

"Carlotta." Ness said again, tightening her grasp. "These men – what do they look like? What are they looking for?"

"They've got these black robes, and – and they're wearing these mask things – I think they're looking for Glyn, Vanessa, or – or Harry Potter, they're looking for someone!"

Swallowing her fear, Ness snatched up her wand, turning carefully in the room. Sensing there were no Death Eaters in her house – _yet _– she hurried to the front door and peered through the small glass window. The street was virtually empty, and from the outside, Carlotta's house looked untouched.

"Carlotta, listen to me." She bent down to the child's level. "It's not safe here. You must go to the shops, and find your cousins – then go to your aunt and uncle's house, okay, and tell them what has happened."

Eyes wide with fright, the child could only nod mutely.

"Run until you are safely with your cousins." Ness said, and gave the child a shove towards the door. Giving the older woman another, frightened glance, Carlotta disappeared, tearing down the path as fast as her little legs could carry her. Ness held her breath until the Italian girl was safely out of sight, then moved towards the fireplace, praying that Harry and Ginny would take advantage of their time in the city and not return any time soon.

Throwing Floo powder into the fireplace with trembling fingers, Ness stuck her head into the fireplace, saying Healer Gregory's name as loudly as she dared. He knelt down to her level, a delighted smile twisting on his face.

"Vanessa! This is a surprise!"

"There's no time, Gregory." Ness said abruptly, trying to ignore the startled look on his face at her greeting him so shortly. "There are Death Eaters here."

"What? Come through, get out of there, Vanessa! Now!"

"I can't leave Harry and Ginny." Ness said firmly.

"Are they there?"

"No, they're out."

"We'll get Aurors there, they'll get the Death Eaters before the two return." Healer Gregory said impatiently, sounding panicked. "Come on, come through!"

"I'm not leaving, Alan – there are all Harry's files, important stuff – if they find them…"

"Damn it, Vanessa, this is your _life_ we're talking about."

"Please." Ness scoffed. "I've learned enough to know how to deal with a few measly rogue Death Eaters." Her head twisted to the side, looking at something he couldn't see, and when she turned back, her face was etched with worry. "They're starting on searching the other houses, Alan, and not just mine – these are innocent people, they don't _know_ about Harry – they'll not be kind, I can't leave!" Her head turned again.

"Vanessa!"

"I have to go." Ness said in hushed tones. "They're coming."

There was a splutter from the fireplace and her head was gone; snatching up his wand, Healer Gregory threw the Floo powder into the fireplace and leapt in before the sparks had settled. Choking on the smoke, he spun out into the small villa in Venice, stumbling in his hurry to get out.

Looking up, he realised that he and Ness were completely surrounded.

**V I V I V**

_Translations:_

_Che cosa è accaduto a quella ragazza inglese? _What happened to that English girl?

_È ancora qui. _She's still here.

_Magico_. Magical


	11. Revenge

**Title: **Losing Faith

**Summary: **It's the summer after Ginny's sixth year, and Voldemort is dead. But still, things are not how they should be. How will everyone cope now that the worst threat is over? HG RHr

**Genre: **Angst/Drama

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **It's all JK Rowling's. 'Nuff said.

**A/N: **Well, I'm back at university now, and the Internet in my flat is being temperamental which has given me less time to procrastinate at fanfiction sites and more time to actually update! So without further ado, the eleventh chapter, **Revenge**! Thank you all for the reviews – you rock 3

**V I V I V**

_**REVENGE **_

Alan Gregory cursed explicitly as he stumbled out of the fireplace, almost crashing into Vanessa in the process, and found himself at the mercy of no less than eight masked Death Eaters. Yelping in surprise as he appeared next to her, Ness completely forgot about the fact they were entirely surrounded as she spun to face him, her eyes blazing.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?"

"Not leaving you to fight these bastards alone, that's what!" He snarled in response, ducking and only narrowly avoiding a Stunning spell. "_Stupefy!_"

"_Impedimenta!_"

"_Immobulus!"_

"_Incarcerous!"_

"_Avada kedavra!"_

There was no time to think as hexes and curses shot in all directions, and Gregory only just managed to keep back the bile as the Killing Curse struck the wall mere inches above his head, sending plaster raining down. Beside him, Ness was struggling to hold on, her forehead damp with perspiration and concentration as she twisted and spun away from many of the curses headed her way. Impressed at how agile and quick the woman was, he didn't hear the Cruciatus curse strike until she fell against him, sending them both tumbling to the ground where her body jolted and jerked, her screams tearing at his ear drums.

"_Avada kedavra!_" He found himself roaring, furious beyond belief, and there was the thud of a Death Eater's body hitting the ground. He had never spoken the words before, never thought that he _could_, but when it came down to their lives or Vanessa's, there was no question. Shakily, he helped her to her feet, trying desperately to ignore the shocked look on her face.

"We'll spare you." One of the few remaining Death Eaters said suddenly, his voice muffled by the mask. Ness snorted in amusement as Gregory raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Tell us where the Potter boy is and we'll leave you. We just want the Potter boy."

"We don't know where he is." Alan said with more courage than he felt.

"_Crucio!"_

He braced himself for the curse, for the immense pain, and then felt his guts twist painfully as he realised the screams echoing through the living room were in fact not his, but Vanessa's. They trailed off as the man lifted the curse, and Alan struggled to raise his wand, send the Death Eater to hell, but he seemed frozen in place.

"Ready to tell me yet, girl?"

Vanessa glared up at the surrounding black-robed men, her eyes sparking. "I'll never tell you scum anything." She snarled out.

"Very well." Another spoke, not sounding in the least put out. "_Crucio!"_

She jerked about at Alan's feet again, and he felt as if he were going to throw up as he saw a trickle of blood drip from the corner of his mouth. What kind of monster was he, to just stand and watch her being tortured? He had to stop them, before they killed her or worse, tortured her to insanity.

"Wait!"

"Alan – _no_!" The young woman gasped out as she struggled back to her feet. "Don't!"

"He'll kill you, Vanessa." The healer croaked out.

"I don't care! I'd die before I let anything happen to Harry!"

"Getting bored…" Another Death Eater piped up, and Ness spun almost haltingly, shooting a Stunning spell at him and smirking with satisfaction as he sprawled across the floor.

"The Potter boy went back to England." Gregory lied smoothly. "I don't know whereabouts there, though." He was aware of Vanessa shifting in surprise, and prayed that she would play along. To his relief, she seemed to know exactly what she was doing as she threw herself at him, wailing in a dramatic manner. He tightened his hands around her small wrists, looking down at her, and though her eyes were filled with fatigue and pain, she smiled at him, and his heart lifted.

There was a chorus of snickers and sneers as the Death Eaters that weren't incapacitated rose to their feet, looking over the two Healers with disdain.

"You really thought that we'd just let you – go free?" One of them demanded, his voice harsh, loud and amused, and Alan's eyes widened as at least six wands aimed their way again. Before he could even reach for his own wand, there was a brilliant flash of bright light, and he felt himself connect solidly with the wall, ribs cracking and muscles screaming out in agony. And the last thing he saw before he succumbed to blissful, pain-free darkness was Vanessa, lying spread-eagled in front of him, too still and too silent.

**V I V I V**

"Merlin, this place is bloody beautiful." Ginny gasped out, spinning in circles and giggling wildly at the glorious feel of soft, warm sand beneath her bare feet. Harry strolled along beside her, holding both their shoes and smiling at his girlfriend's reaction to the beach.

"You live right down near the deepest darkest part of England." He teased her. "You can't tell me you never went to the beach."

"Oh, we did. But they're all pebbly and freezing cold and it's not like there's _any_ sun." She retorted, practically dancing down to the water's edge and dipping her toes in with a girly squeal. "It's a shame that I burn, not tan." She mock glared at him, poking her fingernail into his chest. "I bet you've spent most of your time indoors, yet you've got the best tan I've ever seen."

Harry grinned sheepishly, lifting his shoulders into a shrug. "I don't understand why you want to get a tan, anyway." He murmured, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. "You're beautiful just as you are."

"Oh." Ginny smiled, placing her hand against his cheek, then slapped him gently, letting out a small laugh. "Flattery will get you nowhere."

He grinned back at her cheekily, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Well, it got me a little somewhere, didn't it?"

"Just a little." Ginny acknowledged reluctantly, and then snatched her sandals out of his grasp, sitting down on the sand to slide them back on. "And you know what will get you further? If you go on some of those theme park rides with me." The first thing she had spotted when they had got down to the beach was the small festival at the very far end of the beach. With blaring music and bright, garish colours, the sound of children and adults shrieking with laughter, was exactly Ginny's sort of thing.

"Oh, damn." Harry muttered, sighing. "You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?"

"Nope." She put her small hand in his, tugging him towards the festival. "Come on! It'll be fun! You need to relax, Mister Potter!" She rolled her eyes at him as he protested against the rides. "Come on!" She repeated. "You played on the Quidditch team for seven years, and got who knows how many injuries on it, so you can't tell me you're scared of a little roller coaster ride!"

"Not scared!" Harry protested indignantly. "I just don't like the thought of leaving my stomach somewhere up in the air when I'm down near the ground."

"Yet that never happens when you do Wronski Feints." Ginny mocked, laughing again, and nudged her shoulder against his. "Ha-_arry_!"

He threw his hands up into the air in a gesture of defeat. "Fine, fine." He said, his exasperated tone not quite matching up with the wide grin on his face. "But you'll be the one to blame if I chuck up all over you."

Ginny's mature response was to stick her tongue out, roll her eyes again and head towards the longest line of the largest roller coaster. Harry groaned, muttering under his breath.

"I'm really going to regret this."

**V I V I V**

The sick feeling that had started up in Ginny's stomach and not left was, she realised, was not her body adjusting to foreign food or the roller coaster rides she and Harry had ridden on. Stopping midway up the path to the villa, she thought her heart had fallen to the very soles of her feet and her stomach was getting ready to reject all that she had eaten that day. Pressing a hand to her mouth to stop herself throwing up, she glanced sideways at Harry, and very nearly burst into tears just at his expression.

His hand tightened around hers, and they made their way slowly up the path, wands out and ready for any Death Eaters that were likely to jump out at them. Ginny couldn't tear her gaze away from the front door wrenched off its hinges, the shards of glass from the paneled windows littering the grass, the smoking hole in the roof, the flicker of dying flames… the Dark Mark floating lazily above the once beautiful villa.

"Stay here," Harry whispered to her, and though she wouldn't dream of doing as he commanded, she said nothing, simply let her hand slide of his grasp; there wasn't time to get into an argument over it. He stepped over the threshold, his trainers crunching against the glass, and after several moments she followed, her wand slippery with sweat in her hold.

She almost gagged at the smell of blood and death that enveloped the thick, moist air, even though it wasn't half as bad as the stench that had overtaken Hogsmeade, and realised she would never get used to it. Several paces ahead of her, Harry turned in circles, his eyes passing over her and not looking in the slightest bit surprised that she had disobeyed him.

The living room was utterly destroyed; the coffee table now splinters of wood, the sofa and chairs not much more than torn leather and stuffing. The bookcase that had once been crammed with games and books and treasures that Ginny had looked forward to exploring was blackened, burnt practically beyond recognition. Chancing another glance at her boyfriend, Ginny saw that he kept his face composed, but there was fear in his eyes, fear for the person that had helped him when he was at his lowest.

Ginny's heart beat fast in her chest as she watched Harry move towards the kitchen; her mind was throwing all sorts of horrific images at her that she tried in vain to blank out. She grasped the door handle for support as she followed him, and retched violent as her hand came away slippery with someone else's blood.

"Harry." She struggled out, hating how young and vulnerable she sounded. He spun around, saw the blood on her hand, and looked on the verge of throwing up as well. In two paces he was beside her as she struggled to scrub the blood off onto her robes. "It won't come off. It won't come off!"

"It's off, Ginny, it's gone." Harry said soothingly, but she could still feel it under her fingernails and etched into the lines in her hand. She fought back a sob; they needed to find Ness, and get out of there, to someplace safe. Harry's hand found hers again, offering only a mild comfort, and she realised with another surge of self-hatred that she should be comforting him, and yet here he was being the strong one again. Taking her hand away, she stuffed it deep into her robes and moved quickly towards the back door, sucking in the fresh air with a sigh of relief.

A murmur from her boyfriend made her turn towards him; he was staring out the kitchen window, his eyes wide with horror, clutching onto the back of one of the unbroken kitchen chairs for support. Following his gaze, Ginny couldn't stop an array of obscenities from leaving her mouth; flames were slowly but surely engulfing the house next door, and even as they watched, it started to crumble in on itself, the roaring sound of bricks exploding deafening Ginny temporarily.

"We have to get out of here!" She yelled above the noise as the flames grew steadily higher, licking at the walls of Vanessa's home.

"Ginny – that's – that's Carlotta and Rosa's _house_!"

She swallowed the lump in her throat, reaching for his trembling hands, knowing what he was desperately wanting to do. "You can't go in there, Harry." She told him softly. "You can't."

"What if they're _in_ there?"

"You'll just get killed!" She shouted, gripping his hands tightly. "We just have to wait for – for the proper authorities to deal with it. They're equipped for this sort of thing, Harry; you can't go barging into a _burning house_!"

For once, he didn't argue further, instead backing out into the living room, his face a stark white in contrast to the tan that he had developed from spending several months in such a hot country. The room was steadily growing hotter, and Ginny knew it was only a matter of time before the fire spread to the other houses.

"We have to go." She reminded him softly, and let out a cry of surprise as he abruptly drew her close to his chest. "Harry?"

He said nothing, tightening his arm around her waist, and she realised too late that he was Apparating them away. Appearing on the pavement of a street she didn't recognise, she hastily shoved him away as she retched once more, unused to the body-squeezing, organ-twisting experience of Apparation.

"You could have warned me." She told him crossly, wiping a hand across her sweaty face as she straightened up and looked around. "Where are we?"

Her question was answered by the sound of a front door being slammed open and a flurry of Italian voices. Before Ginny knew what was happening, she and Harry were both being swept up into a warm, thick embrace by a large, cuddly woman that reminded Ginny sorely of her mother. Hot on the woman's heels were three of the four Italian girls, making Ginny's heart leap in relief. She wasn't sure how Harry would have coped if his young Italian friends had been killed, but he certainly had enough to deal with.

"Oh, you poor dears!" The woman was babbling, and Ginny felt a massive pang of homesickness, wondering irrelevantly what her parents and brothers were doing at that point. "Carlotta was in such state, she was so worried about you all!" She smiled warmly at Ginny as she hustled the lot of them into the house. "And you, you are the English girl that I have heard much about from my youngest niece – you are attending the same school that Carlotta will be in September, no?"

"That's right." Ginny nodded stiffly as she and Harry were bundled into kitchen chairs and steaming cups of sweet tea were pressed into their hands. She glanced around, seeing only the eldest three cousins. "Where is Carlotta?"

"She was so upset; I had to give her – sleep." Gina and Anna's mother said in her disjointed English. She motioned vaguely up the stairs. "She is resting now in the guest room, she is fine. Now, what happened? You and Glyn are not injured? Where is young Vanessa?"

Harry, who, up until that moment, had been silently, jerked his head up at the mention of his mentor's name. "Ness?" He asked hoarsely. "I hoped you would know!"

"Carlotta told me that Vanessa was still in the house when she left to tell us about the – what you call Death Eaters?" Rosa interjected, white and shaking, obviously still in shock over the news that her home had been destroyed. Ginny tried to imagine the Burrow burned to the ground, and shuddered.

"I have to find her." Harry said stubbornly, shoving his chair back and getting to his feet, swaying dangerously. Almost all of them let out cries of protest – only Ginny remained silent, knowing that nothing would change Harry's mind once it was made up. Feeling his eyes fall upon the back of her head, she smiled slightly, knowing he had been expecting her to make the most protest.

"I'm coming with you." She said, turning to face him, and his face regained a little colour as he gave what could almost pass for a smile.

"But it is far too dangerous, and you have had such a shock!" Gina and Anna's mother exclaimed, twisting her hands together anxiously. Ginny reached for Harry's hand, smiling apologetically.

"No one here in Venice knows about our relationship with Ness – if something has happened to her, who knows when we'd find out." Harry flinched slightly at the thought, and she squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Thank you for the tea, signora Rossi." Harry said, flashing a charming smile that didn't reach his eyes. "But we must find Ness, and find out why this happened." He turned his smile onto the three girls, and it became a lot more genuine. "I'm so glad you are all okay." He murmured, and suddenly Rosa flung herself on him, weeping openly. Gina and Anna weren't far behind, only slightly less weepy, patting their cousin on the back comfortingly and giving Harry apologetic, if a bit tearful, looks.

Despite the dire situation, Ginny couldn't help but feel that somehow her boyfriend managed to attract far more crying girls than dry-eyed ones.

**V I V I V**

With a warning this time, Harry Apparated himself and Ginny away, and she only just managed to keep the bile low in her throat as they appeared at the end of the street they had been staying on. It was thick with ash and smoke, only silhouettes of figures visible through the darkness, and they both had to keep their lips clenched together to stop themselves from breathing in the hot grit.

"Hullo!" A surprised voice came from somewhere to their left, Ginny found herself squinting to look and, with an impatient sigh, Harry cleared some of the air in front of them with a hasty _'evanesco!'_ A familiar figure stood, looking rather battered and bruised, peering at them curiously.

"Healer Gregory!" Ginny exclaimed, recognising the man that had sent her to Venice in the first place.

"Miss Weasley, Mr. Potter – sorry, Charlton." He acknowledged at Harry's scowl and hasty glance around seeing who was within earshot, and forced a smile. "I must say I'm relieved to see that you're both all right."

"What are you doing here?" Ginny asked, noticing that his eyes were rather red-rimmed and he looked as if he were having quite a bit of trouble staying on his feet.

"Vanessa contacted me to tell me that Death Eaters were attacking." Gregory explained. "And she wouldn't do the sensible thing and wait for back up, so I had to come through after her."

"Ness?" Harry blurted out once more, his scowl replaced by a look of intense worry. "Is she all right?"

The healer stuffed his hands into his torn, dirtied robes pockets and gazed at a spot above Ginny's head. "She's been taken to St. Mungo's." He said finally, his voice cracking. "It's one of the best wizarding hospitals in the world, and the Italian Ministry decided she would get better care there."

Harry's grip on Ginny's hand started to hurt as he tried to clench his fist in concern. "She's okay, though, right?"

"It – it doesn't look good, Harry." Gregory said hoarsely, looking between the pair of them with pained eyes. "I'm on my way there now, if you two want to join me…"

Ginny nodded slowly, unable to say anything as she felt numbness set in, and regretted chancing a look at her boyfriend. Harry's gaze was firmly set on the churned up earth, his jaw set and he was obviously struggling to hide all his emotions, but it was impossible to hide the glitter of tears in his eyes.


	12. Truth and Together

**Title: **Losing Faith

**Summary: **It's the summer after Ginny's sixth year, and Voldemort is dead. But still, things are not how they should be. How will everyone cope now that the worst threat is over? HG RHr

**Genre: **Angst/Drama

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **It's all JK Rowling's. 'Nuff said.

**A/N: **So the story is nearing its end; there are a few loose ends still to tie up. Thank you for the reviews of course – _griffindorgirl-12, dancedance, RexS _and _starrydreamz. _I'm reckoning on one more chapter after this and an epilogue.

**V I V I V**

_**TRUTH AND TOGETHER**_

The last time Ginny had been to St Mungo's was just after the Hogsmeade attack, when her mother had allowed her, Ron and Hermione to briefly visit Harry in the Critical Unit of Spell Damage. She shivered at the memory, unconsciously shifting closer to her boyfriend's side, and tried not to look at the many ailing wizards and witches seated in the wooden chairs in the waiting area and queuing up to speak to the Welcome Witch. Harry, seeming to sense her discomfort, squeezed her hand briefly before following Healer Gregory to the front desk, ignoring the protests from those in line.

"Alan!" The Welcome Witch took one look at her colleague's face and blanched at the dirtied, bloodstained man. "What on _earth_ happened?"

"Run in with Death Eaters." Gregory said dryly, wincing as he pressed a hand to his ribs. "I'm all right, nothing that can't be patched up with the wave of a wand. I'm actually looking for Healer Vanessa Taylor – she should have been brought here about an hour ago."

"Oh, yes – such a lovely girl, and so young…" The Welcome Witch said sadly, shaking her head, and Ginny felt her insides freeze at the despondent tone of the older woman. Beside her, Harry stiffened, and Gregory leant in, his eyes desperate.

"Del – where is she? What ward?"

"She's in the Critical Unit of Spell Damage, Alan."

_It's not going to end, not ever, just because You-Know-Who's dead doesn't mean that it's over because his pathetic minions are going to keep coming for revenge and they're going to kill or torture everyone Harry loves until he dies or goes crazy and it'll never be better, not til we're all dead or crazy or the world is ruled by You-Know-Who even though he's DEAD!_

"Ginny!"

She came to herself with a start, sucking in a deep breath as she realised she had forgotten to breathe. Healer Gregory was already halfway down the hallway to the elevators and Harry was looking like he desperately wanted to follow, but was held back by Ginny rooted to the spot.

"S-sorry." She muttered, flushing with embarrassment, and fell into step beside him. "I just – I don't think…" She trailed off, suddenly overwhelmed with a wave of self-loathing. She had known Ness for less than a week, what right did she have to act that way? Harry and Ness seemed to have established a sibling's relationship, the same kind Ginny and Luna had had. And Harry had already lost so much…

Shaking herself out of her dark thoughts, she straightened her face into what she hoped was a calm expression as they stepped out onto the Spell Damage floor, despite the tight, painful twisting of her stomach and the tears clogging her throat.

"_Critical Unit, there." Ron pointed out a set of double doors that a wizard in lime robes had just come through, the sign proclaiming that visitors were restricted to family members only. "Come on."_

_Hermione shook her head, frowning. "It says family members only, Ron."_

_To Ginny's surprise, Ron reared back on his girlfriend, eyes flashing with an anger that she had seen many times during their years growing up together but never directed to Hermione, who he positively doted on. "Family members, Hermione? _Family_ members? You really think that those Muggles are going to be visiting? _We're_ his family, and I'm not going to let any bloody Healer tell me different!" With his point firmly made, he strode to the doors, pushed them open with more force than was really necessary, and only made it halfway into the ward before stopping in his tracks._

_Ginny ran after her brother, aware of Hermione hot on her heels, and followed his gaze to a bed at the far end of the room, the only one that did not have the curtains drawn as a Healer was bending over the bed. She could just make out Harry's mop of dark hair, a white arm lying limp on the sheets, and couldn't stop the cry from leaving her lips as the Healer stepped back to let them get a full view of Harry. He was so thin and white and bruised and fragile, and his eyes were so sunken into his face he looked _dead_, and before Ginny really registered what she was doing she had turned and run from the room, the tears already streaming freely down her face._

Harry was standing just outside those same double doors, swinging back towards him after Healer Gregory had stepped inside, and he looked torn between running away, just as Ginny had, or going to Ness' side.

She shook herself out of her stupor and reached for his hand, not knowing what to say other than to _pray_ that Ness would be okay.

"I can't go in there." He said hoarsely, backing away from the doors, dragging her with him. "Not – it's too much, I'm sorry, I can't…"

Ginny soothed him, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him close to her. "It's okay." She whispered in his ear. "You don't have to be sorry. You don't have to go in there. It's okay." She found herself repeating the words over and over in hushed tones, like a mantra, until he relaxed into her embrace and buried his head in her neck. His tears soaked her skin as her own wet his hair, as she wondered when it had all started to go terribly wrong.

He pushed away from her several moments later, eyes still fixed on the closed doors, and sucked in a deep breath. "Ginny…" His tone, despondent and shaky, made her arms drop to her sides and she took a few steps backwards, not liking the look on his face. "We need to talk."

The most hated words in the history of a relationship hanging in the air between them, Ginny wondered what she had done wrong, before Harry's eyes widened and he seemed to realise what he had just said.

"Oh God, not like that – I didn't mean _that_, Ginny! How can you – bloody hell, after all you've done, I wouldn't…." He trailed off, stammering over his words, and she felt a dull flush creep up her cheeks.

"Oh." She replied quietly, inwardly rejoicing. "I thought… you know, that was – those are the classic words before a break up."

Harry sank into one of the wooden chairs set against the wall opposite the Critical Unit, smiling warily up at her. "No, never." He insisted, reaching forward and taking her hands in his own. "I just – being here reminded me of – you know…"

She nodded fervently. "It reminded me too." She agreed, relieved that she wasn't the only one who had had bad memories come flying back to her.

"I think you need to know the truth." Harry said slowly, tugging her down to sit next to him. "You _deserve_ to."

"Is now really the right time, Harry?" Ginny questioned, swallowing hard, suddenly terrified.

"Yes. If I don't tell you now, I may never…" Her boyfriend insisted, his green eyes boring into hers and making her feel even more nervous about his secrecy. "I want it over with, you hear? I don't want us to have any more secrets. I hate keeping things from you. It sucks." The last said with a quirk of a smile, so unlike Harry, and Ginny couldn't stop herself from snorting in amusement.

"Okay." Taking in a deep breath, she squeezed his hands, nodding. "Okay."

"I don't remember much after I – after Voldemort died." He began in such a quiet voice that she had to lean forward to hear him. "I just remember waking up in there;" he waved vaguely towards the unit, wincing slightly. "And everything was different."

"Different how?" Ginny asked when he trailed off, looking pensive.

"I thought I was going crazy or something." Harry sighed, scuffing the heel of his foot on the floor. "And don't think I _am_ crazy after I tell you this but – I could see things, flashes of memories that weren't mine, and I could feel – other people's emotions, just briefly, but enough to get me really confused." He ran a hand through his hair, looking harassed.

"How?" Ginny whispered, afraid to break the silence.

"I didn't want to tell the Healers." Harry continued, taking his hand from hers and stuffing both hands into his pockets. "Thought they'd send me to the psychiatric unit or something… but well, I hadn't gained proper control of my magic since, and it kept – every time I'd get a whiff of someone else's emotions, or a flash of a memory, my magic would go crazy… it kept breaking things… I nearly seriously hurt several Healers." He winced, recalling the memory, and Ginny felt understanding being to settle in. _He hadn't wanted to hurt anyone he loved… _"So I left." Harry confirmed her suspicions. "I spoke to Healer Gregory, and he recommended Ness. She collected me that night."

"Why – why was that happening?" Ginny asked, a frown settling between her eyes. "Does it still happen now?"

Harry shook his head. "Ness taught me to gain control of my magic again. Occlumency helped with the memory flashes, and I learnt to block out other people's emotions." He shrugged. "Gregory thought that it was the legilimency that sent everything – haywire. I mean, I'd never even attempted it before, and against the most accomplished Legilimens in Merlin know how long… it sent everything crazy."

"When I came to Venice…" Ginny breathed, understanding settling in. "You were afraid that all that work would – seeing me, you were afraid that it would all amount to nothing."

"But it _didn't_." Harry said, a crooked smile crossing his features. "It just made me realise that I was ready to come home."

_Come home…_ the words made Ginny's insides warm, and she felt all the pent-up frustration and anger she had felt towards her boyfriend rapidly start to disappear. She smiled back, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell us, though? We would have been able to – at least understand why you left." She asked, and Harry shifted his shoulders into another shrug.

"I guess – I just thought that you'd all think I was going crazy or something. I didn't know whether you'd believe me."

"So little faith in us." Ginny sighed, lifting her eyes to his. "Harry, you don't need to hide things from me, or any of us. We'll listen. I promise."

He relaxed, tearing his eyes from hers and returning his gaze to the Critical Unit doors, Ness back on his mind. "She has to be okay." He said firmly, as if trying to convince himself. "She's got me this far. She's – she's a lot stronger than she looks, Ginny."

Ginny nodded; at first sight Ness was small and fragile and looked as if she could break at any moment but had dispelled those assumptions within half an hour of being in Ginny's company. "She'll be okay." Ginny echoed, entwining her fingers with his and leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. "She will. She'll be fine."

**V I V I V**

"Breaking news from Venice, Italy," A voice intoned over the magical radio that Molly had installed not long before Voldemort's demise, finding that they could no longer rely solely on the _Daily Prophet_. At the sound of the location, Molly tensed up at the kitchen counter, remembering her daughter's whereabouts. "Death Eaters struck several wizarding homes along Corvine Road, it is believed in search of Harry Potter, who is rumoured to be living there."

Molly's hand flew to her mouth as she let out a surprised gasp. Harry, in Venice? Her emotions fluctuated wildly between relief at the realisation that she knew, however vaguely, where he was, and worry for him and Ginny.

"Luckily there were no deaths, and only three casualties, all of whom are currently in critical condition in St. Mungo's hospital – Rhone Montgomery, Maria Tusking and Vanessa Taylor."

"_Vanessa Taylor…_" Molly whispered; her eyes widened as she instantly recognised the name. Even the comfort that Ginny's name had not been mentioned didn't help much; she found herself lunging towards the fireplace, throwing floo powder into the grate and calling for her husband.

"What is it, Molly?" Arthur's head spun around in the flames as he frowned, concerned, up at her. "You look pale – are you feeling all right?"

"There's been a Death Eater attack in Venice." Molly gabbled out, hurriedly taking off her apron. "I heard it on the radio. They didn't mention Ginny, but Healer Taylor was taken to St. Mungo's – Arthur, we have to get Ginny back!"

"Ginny will probably be there as well - I'll meet you there." He said instantly, and his head spun around once more before disappearing from sight. Molly was just about to follow when she remembered Ron was upstairs alone, and would wonder where she had got to. Panic overtaking common sense, she hurried up the stairs with remarkable agility for her, pushing open her son's bedroom door without knocking.

"Mum!" Ron yelped, jumping up from his desk. "Don't you knock?"

"I'm going to St Mungo's." She informed him. "There's been a Death Eater attack on Healer Taylor's home."

"Ginny?" Ron asked, his eyes widening in worry, as he followed her down the rickety staircase.

"She's okay, I think, but Healer Taylor was injured." Molly threw a pinch of floo powder into the fire. "Ginny won't know what to do – we have to find her."

"I'm coming." Ron said, even as his mother stepped into the fireplace and shouted out the hospital's name. He spun out of one of the many fireplaces into the hospital waiting room, very nearly barreled down by a Healer dashing past in a blur of green, and only just caught sight of his parents backs retreating down the corridor. Quickening his pace, Ron found that his long legs easily drew him level to Molly and Arthur, and the three of them ascended the stairs in a tense, worried silence.

"Healer Taylor is in the Critical Unit." Arthur said as they moved, his voice weary and looking far older than his years. "I doubt Ginny would go wandering around; I just hope she has had the sense to stay put."

Ron wisely kept his mouth shut – remembering Ginny's desperate need to go back into the midst of the action on that fateful day in Hogsmeade, it wouldn't surprise him if she was trying to help the Aurors in Venice, despite not having turned seventeen yet. His suspicions were dashed the moment he spotted his only sister, hunched up on a wooden chair opposite the closed doors to the unit, her head resting on a strange boy's shoulder and her hand clutched in his. Letting out a strangled cry of indignation, completely forgetting about his worry for Ginny, Ron leapt forward, only just stopping himself from tearing the stranger away from her.

"Ron!" Ginny scrambled up, her face splitting into a small smile, which widened at the sight of her parents not far behind. "How did you know that we – I – was here?"

"It was on the radio." Ron said, eyeing the boy suspiciously. "We heard that the Healer you're staying with was injured and figured you'd be here… though not in the clutches of some boy."

"_Ronald_!" Molly gasped, scandalized, while Ginny's jaw dropped and the boy allowed a small, self-satisfied smirk that Ron didn't like in the slightest. Arthur, after giving his daughter a brief, one-armed hug in greeting, was hovering by the doors, peering in.

"I know you're probably lonely after Harry buggered off," Ron continued, ignoring his mother's warning. "But really, Ginny, cheating on him – I thought you were better than that, and after everything that he's been through."

The boy's smirk was unmistakable now, and Ron turned on him. "What're you smiling at anyway?" He demanded before he could stop himself, motioning towards his and Ginny's entwined fingers. "Let go of her!"

Ginny and the stranger exchanged amused glances that just made Ron's irritation grow; Molly huffed and sighed, obviously itching to have a proper greeting with her daughter but unable to with the impending fight. "I think we'd better tell him before his head explodes." Ginny suggested, and the stranger nodded, plucking his wand from his pocket. Instinctively, Ron reached for his own, automatically assuming a fighting stance that fell to confusion when the boy pointed his wand tip to his own forehead.

"_Finite incantatem_."

Ginny still found it disconcerting to watch Glyn's features merge into Harry's, but with the astounded look on her brother's face she decided it was worth it, trying hard to hold back giggles. Molly let out a shrill shriek that nearly pierced all their eardrums, and descended on the pair of them, squeezing them tightly.

"Oh, Harry, thank _goodness_! Have you any idea how worried we all were? Are you okay? Where have you been?"

"Might want to stop you there, Mum." Ginny mumbled into her mother's shoulder, struggling away. "Because that will take a while, and there are more important things at the moment."

Ron was still staring suspiciously at Harry. "How can you prove you're Harry Potter?" He demanded, and in a strike of irony Ginny realised she had never asked Harry to prove he really _was_ him, in disguise.

"First year, on the train, the first ever chocolate frog card I got – Dumbledore." Harry returned automatically, quirking a grin. Ron hesitated, thinking back, then nodded, stepping forward to draw his best friend into a brief, manly hug.

"Welcome back, mate. You have a lot to answer for, I hope you know."

Ginny winced, but her boyfriend simply nodded in acknowledgement, turning to offer a tentative smile at the gaping Mr. Weasley. "Hullo, Mr. Weasley."

Arthur pumped Harry's outstretched hand enthusiastically. "Harry, it's good to see you, boy! How did you manage to come across our Ginny here? Visiting someone?"

"Oh Merlin…" Ginny groaned, burying her face in her hands. "This is going to take forever."

"Patience, my dear." Harry tugged at her hand, before turning back to face the trio. "I was actually staying with Ginny in Venice – Ness – I mean, Vanessa Taylor was my Healer as well."

Ron snapped his fingers. "_That_ makes sense! Your letter saying you'd seen Ginny – confused the hell out of us – me and Hermione, that is."

Harry nodded. "I've been in Venice since I left St. Mungo's – in disguise, as the guy you just saw and almost pummeled – and it was sheer coincidence that Ginny was recommended the same Healer. Gave me quite a shock when she turned up, I tell you."

"And me." Ginny added, as Ron reddened at Harry's remark.

Molly was tearing up, her hands pressed to her mouth in horror. "Oh, but you must be quite close to Healer Taylor, if you've been with her this long."

Harry nodded, shrugging slightly and avoiding all gazes. "Yeah, well – guess I've come to think of her as a – well, a sister, like Hermione, I guess."

"She'll be fine." Ginny repeated, squeezing his hand. "Don't worry, Harry, she'll be fine."

**V I V I V**

As soon as he neared the end of the ward, Alan Gregory found he could not move a step further, his eyes trained on the curtains closed around her bed. There was a great deal of activity going on behind them, for despite the Silencing Charms that had obviously been put up the curtains continuously moved, as if several people were brushing past them. Swallowing down the painful lump in his throat and reminding himself that he was a _Healer_, that he should know how to deal with these sorts of things, Gregory forced his numb legs into motion, slipping behind the curtain with the pretense of assisting. Not that any of his colleagues would have minded, though he didn't usually specialize in the Critical Unit patients – Gregory was still a firm favourite of many.

"Hullo, Alan." One of the male Healers said cheerily from where he stood at the end of the bed, waving a wand over the statistical chart to monitor changes. "What happened to you? You don't look too good, if you don't mind me saying."

"Er – got caught up in the Venice attack." Gregory mumbled, unable to take his eyes off the awful sight of Vanessa's bruised, swollen and battered face, brow furrowed with pain even during unconsciousness. "How is she?"

"Doesn't look good." The other male Healer said frankly, pocketing his own wand and stepping back. "It looks like there's too much internal bleeding. 'Course, we've used all the healing spells we can, but they're better healed with the Resarcio potion, and we can't get potions down her right now – her body's simply rejecting them."

"Rejecting them how? If you can't get them down her throat, inject them – do anything!" Gregory commanded, trembling slightly, so many thoughts going through his mind at the prospect of Vanessa's death. _Such a valued, talented Healer… too young… deserves to live like everyone else… I think I've fallen for her…_

The last struck him hard, and he struggled to turn his mind back to what the Healer was saying.

"We've tried it all, Alan. Her body simply goes into convulsions and rejects it every time, and it stretches the internal wounds. If we try it once more, then she _will_ bleed to death."

Gregory sat himself down heavily on the one available chair, aware that if he hadn't, he would have simply fallen onto the floor. His usual business-like approach had been taken over by a fuzzy, distant mist in his brain, and he couldn't think further than the realisation that Vanessa _might die_.

He remembered meeting her in training school, the ever-smiling girl who piped up before everyone else and would have annoyed the rest of the trainers if she hadn't had such a happy-go-lucky attitude. As it was, she still managed to piss off plenty of people, even Gregory at several points, but he had seen past that to her confident, bubbly, laid-back personality.

"What are you going to do, then?" He found himself asking, and gained himself several sympathetic glances.

"Keep trying, of course." One of the Healers scoffed. Anything else was out of the question. "We just have to rely solely on the healing spells instead of the Resarcio potion, and hope that it's enough."

_Pray that it's enough, and it has to be enough, it just has to…_

Struggling to compose himself, Gregory rose with a dignified air and left, to tell Harry and Ginny of the devastating consequences.


	13. Coming Home

**Title: **Losing Faith

**Summary: **It's the summer after Ginny's sixth year, and Voldemort is dead. But still, things are not how they should be. How will everyone cope now that the worst threat is over? HG RHr

**Genre: **Angst/Drama

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **It's all JK Rowling's. 'Nuff said.

**A/N: **I am so, so, _so_ sorry! Three months since the last update is just appalling – I promised myself I would be better at updating than that. Real life has been absolutely mad, and my muse went AWOL, so it has taken me a while to get a chapter that I'm happy with.

**V I V I V**

_**COMING HOME**_

"Harry?" Molly's voice broke through Harry's dismal thoughts, and he tore his gaze from the floor to see her watching him with some amount of concern. Distractedly, he noticed that Ginny had at some point wriggled from his embrace and disappeared off somewhere with her father and Ron. Healer Gregory had come to them some time ago, visibly white and shaking, and told them the news in hushed and trembling tones that made Harry's heart plummet.

_She's _Nesshe struggled to reassure himself. _She's a damned Healer herself. Of course she's gonna make it_.

"I'm sorry." Harry found himself automatically saying, and before he realised what was happening a fresh wave of guilt came crashing over him at the look on Mrs. Weasley's face. "It was – to just disappear off like that, and to ignore your letters… after everything you've done for me, I can't… I'm sorry."

Molly sucked in a breath through her teeth and drew him into one of her motherly hugs. Instead of freezing up and flushing as he used to, Harry clung to her like he was a child instead of a burly eighteen-year-old, biting hard down on his lower lip to stop himself from crying and making a complete fool of himself.

"I can't pretend to understand what you went through – what you're going through, dear." She murmured to him, and the attempt to keep the tears back became that much harder. "But I only want the best for you, Harry, and if you felt that's what you had to do, regardless of whether it was _right_ or not, then I'll say no more. We all missed you dreadfully, and we just hope – you'll be back with us for good, now."

He pulled away, blinking hard, and nodded shakily. "I am, I promise." He said fervently, recalling the awful, gut wrenching feeling that had taken a hold of him when he thought that Ginny would never forgive him, that he had lost her forever. "I'm sorry, I really am… I just… I didn't know _what_ to do. I didn't…" He broke off, casting his eye downwards and focusing on his hands, twisting together nervously. "I was afraid that I'd end up hurting Ginny or one of you… and you know, Voldemort had been my whole _life_, you know? I never thought that I'd… that there'd be a time when I'd not have that hanging over my head."

_I never thought I'd survive_, were his unspoken words, and from the pained expression on his girlfriend's mother's face he could tell that she knew exactly what he meant.

"It's over now." She told him reassuringly, patting his hand. "There will _always _be war, sadly. That's the way the world is. But it doesn't rest on your shoulders. You must sit back and let the adults fight it, like we should have done from the beginning. You have a childhood to catch up on. It is something that will always be in your past, Harry, but you have to look ahead now, to a future _you_ want, and not what has been prophesized."

He knew that he would never be able to sit back and let the adults fight it, for, after all, he _was_ one of them now, but refrained from saying it, knowing it would only upset her further. Instead, he offered her a weary, slightly sad smile.

Molly smiled fondly back at him. "Come on, Harry. Let's go home."

The word 'home' struck a chord somewhere deep inside him, and he rose to his feet, casting one last glance at the doors that led to where Ness was struggling for her life before turning and following Mrs. Weasley down the corridor to the fireplaces that would, in fact, take him _home_.

**V I V I V**

As soon as Harry and Mrs. Weasley came through the fireplace into the Burrow's kitchen, a wave of exhaustion swept over him, and before he really knew what was happening Ginny had taken him by the hand and was leading him upstairs. To his surprise, there was no protest from either Molly or Ron, who was perched on the edge of the kitchen table scrutinizing them with an unfathomable expression on his face. Then he was in Ginny's room, and she was pushing him down to sit on her bed with the flowered bedspread soft beneath his hands.

"Ginny, I really…"

Her brown eyes twinkled wickedly. "Oh, _Harry_," She sighed heavily, kneeling before him and resting her elbows on his knees to gaze him in the face. "But it's been so _long_…"

Harry could only gape. "You're not… are you… Ginny, I…"

She let out a giggle that sounded more high-pitched than usual and pulled away from him. "You men are all the same." She teased, tugging her loose, dust-filled hair into a hasty ponytail. "Take you into my bedroom and you assume we're going to do it."

"That's not true!" Harry protested mightily, though that _was_ what he had thought. "You were the one that started talking about it!"

"I didn't." Ginny pouted. "I was talking about it being so long since we'd really been alone together. Not _that_."

Harry rolled his eyes fondly. "You're a wonder, Ginny Weasley." He told her, his smile fading slightly. Sprawling on the rug in front of her bed and crossing her legs, she leant back on her elbows and watched him carefully, her own smile gone.

"It will be okay, you know."

"I know." Harry sighed. "But just when I think it's over, it's…" He started tracing the design of the bedspread with his index finger. "They came after Ness. What will stop them from coming after you, Ron, your family?"

"_Our _family," Ginny corrected. "And I don't know, maybe the dozen wards that have been erected around the Burrow that even You-Know-Who himself couldn't get through, or maybe the fact we have several round the clock Aurors _living _here. They're outnumbered, Harry. We'll be _fine_." She pushed a loose strand of hair out of her dark eyes. "Your duty has been done. It's time for you to live the life _you_ chose."

Harry stared at her for a long, silent moment, before blurting out, "I'm not going to become an Auror."

Ginny smiled slightly. "Good." And she clambered up off the floor and onto the bed, clinging to him so tightly as if her life depended on it, and he was startled to feel the wetness of salty tears dampening the shoulder of his robes. His girlfriend was trembling in his grasp, and he hugged her back tightly, stroking her hair, wondering why he had ever felt so uncomfortable about trying to comfort crying girls because this, _this_ felt like the most natural thing in the world.

There came the sound of wood scraping against wood as the door slowly opened, and Harry looked over Ginny's shoulder to see Bill and Charlie standing in the doorway, Charlie so dirty and disheveled it was clear he had just come from the dragon camp, and Bill looking much older than his years.

Swallowing hard, Harry glanced down at Ginny as she continued to cry, realising that she hadn't heard her brothers come in, then worriedly looked back at the two eldest Weasley boys, just waiting for the blow or the shouting.

Charlie's muddy face split into a grin, his white teeth standing out against his tanned skin, and Bill slowly gave hesitant thumbs up, nodding. 'Welcome back', he mouthed, and then, clapping Charlie on the shoulder, turned and left the room.

Harry shook his head in wonder. He had always thought that the Weasleys put on a tough exterior when everyone of them was soft at heart, but when it came to the well-being of one of their own; he figured that he would have suffered the wrath of every single one of them.

"_Our family," _Ginny's words echoed in his mind. It was hard to comprehend; the only family he had known had made it clear that they had never wanted him, and only put up with him for the safety of themselves. To have people that wanted him as their own despite having no blood relation… it was something, all right.

Pushing all thoughts of doubt out of his mind, he took Ginny's chin in his hand and lifted her stained face to his; gently kissing away the tears that still fell from her eyes.

"It's _okay_," He said fervently, pulling away. "It's going to be okay."

She nodded, sniffing. "Oh, I know," She replied in weak, choked tones. "We've survived this far. We can make it." She slid off the bed, tugging him to his feet. "Now, you're knackered and I could do with some food, so off to bed. Go on. I bet Mum's already set up a place in Ron's room."

"I haven't, actually," Molly said from the open doorway, and Harry jerked in surprise, scolding himself for waiting to be berated on being in Ginny's bedroom. Molly simply smiled mysteriously at him.

"Mum!" Ginny whined, sounding much like the ten-year-old girl Harry had first met in King's Cross Station, as she waved her brothers off to Hogwarts all the while wishing she were going with them. Harry struggled to hide a snicker.

"Go on up to the door past Ron's room, Harry." Mrs. Weasley said kindly.

Ginny gasped. "You didn't!"

"Yes, we thought it was about time. The paperwork came through and the structure could handle one more extension, so with Bill and Alastor's help, we got it finished last week."

Both Weasley women laughed at the bewildered look on Harry's face. "Just go on up to your bedroom, Harry." Molly insisted, patting him on the shoulder. "It's next to Ron's. I hope you'll like it – you can decorate it to your taste, of course."

Harry remembered how accepted and loved he had felt when Molly put his and Hermione's hands on the famous clock in the kitchen. This, _this_ was about five times better, and he had to hurry from the room before he could let the sting of tears in his eyes betray him.

Yes, he was definitely a Weasley now.

**V I V I V**

"Ouch."

The first thing Ness saw when she opened her eyes was the face of Healer Alan Gregory smiling down at her and she immediately squeezed her lids shut again, a grimace of pain twisting on her lips.

"Oh, that's who I wanted to see as soon as I woke up." The grimace twisted into a teasing smile as she blinked up at Gregory, who looked torn between being righteously outraged or simply relieved. He settled for the latter, pulling a chair up to her bed and sitting just within her view. "You made it out all right without much more than a scratch, I see." She offered, touching the sling his right arm was in.

"More than can be said for you," Alan sighed, leaning back against the wooden frame of the chair and scrutinizing her. "They – we – were all worried about you for a while there. They didn't think you'd make it."

"Will take more than that to off me." Ness joked, coughing weakly and gratefully accepting the glass of water that the Healer offered her. "You should know that by now."

"What am I gonna do with you, eh?" Alan shook his head in disbelief, turning to an imaginary audience. "A brush with death and the woman is quipping jokes left right and center."

Abruptly, Ness sat upright, wincing as her newly formed scars pulled against her skin. "The girls next door! Ginny and Glyn – are they all right?"

"The girls are fine – the kid got to her cousins safely and they're with family now while their house is being rebuilt. Miss Weasley and Mr. Potter got a bit of a shock when they came to your house and found it in the state it was, but they're unharmed, and I think they're both at Miss Weasley's house now."

Ness sank back against the pillows, breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank Merlin."

"As for you…"

Ness winced, avoiding his gaze. "Oh, Alan, don't."

"Of all the _stupid_, _idiotic_ things to do!" Alan blurted out, anger bubbling up to the surface. "Over _paperwork_, you almost died, Vanessa!"

"That paperwork tells us everything there is to know about Harry – including his gift!" Ness retorted, and he couldn't help but feel relieved about how alive she looked as her eyes flashed. He had been so terrified that, even if she had survived, the amount of times she had been succumbed to the _Cruciatus _curse would have destroyed her mind. "They could easily find a way to kill Harry if they had that information, Alan. It shows him at his weakest. And you know that is exactly how You-Know-Who liked to do things; find people's weakest points. So – I _know_ it was stupid but it _was_ a matter of life or death… it was mine or Harry's!"

Alan reared back, startled. "I just – it's been horrible, all right?" He attempted lamely. "What they did to you – and then being told that there was little chance you'd live… it's been a rough day." He suddenly looked uncharacteristically shy, running his hands over the wrinkles on the bed sheets to smooth them out. "The thought of losing you, Vanessa, it's just…" He trailed off, his cheeks tinged with pink. For perhaps the first time ever, Ness looked lost for words, her own face no longer pasty but turning a healthy red, and she caught his hand in her own, entwining their fingers. When he looked back at her, she said nothing, and simply offered a small smile.

"Right." Unwilling to break the comfortable moment but unsure what else to do, the Healer got to his feet, taking his hand from hers and instantly missing the feel of her slender fingers against his. "I'd better go and tell your young charges that you're okay." He looked her over. "You _are_, aren't you?" He asked suddenly, worriedly. Ness grinned.

"I ache all over, and feel like I could sleep for a week, but yes, I'm fine. I know they'll be disappointed."

Instead of quirking a smile at her joke, Alan shook his head, his grey eyes boring into hers seriously. "Don't."

Ness nodded, blinking back tears. "Okay." She said softly. "Go and tell them I said hi, and I'm glad they're okay."

The door swung shut behind him, and Ness found herself staring at the closed door for several moments longer, her brow creased into a pained frown. To be honest, she had never seen Alan as anything more than a friend. She thought he was a decent guy, and certainly good-looking, but she had never been physically attracted to him. But then… if he hadn't come after her when the Death Eaters attacked, she would be most likely be dead.

"_Oh, that's who I wanted to see as soon as I woke up."_

In truth, Ness realised with a jerk of shock, that there was no other person she would have rather seen. Sinking back down under the sheets, exhaustion sweeping over her, her last fleeting thought before sleep claimed her was that maybe she wasn't so alone after all.

**V I V I V**

Harry had never slept so well. Just the feeling of warmth and homeliness in the small but comfortable room at the top of the house had sent all nightmares from his mind and his sleep had been one of restful dreamlessness. Glancing at the clock on his bedside table – _his_, he still had to adjust to calling it his room and his belongings – he hurriedly dressed and bolted down the three flights of stairs to the kitchen where the majority of the Weasley family were sitting. Stopping in the doorway, he realised with a sinking feeling that he hadn't actually really spoken to anyone besides Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. Maybe they didn't want him after everything he had put them through.

His first thought was that he should just leave, but firmly pushed that from his mind straight away. He had promised Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley, and he would hold them to that promise forever. He would face the Weasley brothers like a man – after all, he had suffered the wrath of Voldemort, he could certainly face the overprotective brothers of his girlfriend, couldn't he?

"Sit down, dear, and have some breakfast." Molly said kindly, nodding to the empty chair next to Ron. Hesitantly, Harry took the proffered seat, studiously avoiding everyone's gazes. Feeling a slight pressure on his foot, he looked up, receiving a reassuring smile from Ginny.

Knowing that he would probably be sick if he tried to eat a thing, Harry pushed his chair back and stood up, pressing the palms of his hands against the table top and staring at his empty plate. Summoning up all the courage he could muster, he forced himself to look around the table. To his surprise, none of the Weasleys were glaring at him, though Ron looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"I just want to say," Harry stated, his voice shaking ever so slightly. "That I'm sorry. You've all – err, you've all done a lot for me over the past years, and – I didn't exactly repay you very well. I just wasn't sure how to – it was a lot to deal with, and I knew I had to cope by myself. I knew if I told you where I was then you'd demand I came back but – it wasn't safe, not for you or me, until I – well, until I learned to deal. It wasn't the best way to deal with things but I couldn't think of another way. And – well, yeah, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

Flushing red, he started to leave the room, but was stopped by Ron's hoarse voice saying, "Oh, stop, you git."

Startled, Harry spun around. Ron was on his feet, smiling crookedly. "I was right pissed off at you at first, mate." He admitted, ignoring his mother's shocked berate at his language. "But you had to do what you had to do. As long as you don't carry on buggering off without telling us where you're going, we'll be all right."

"Hear, hear." Fred exchanged a wicked glance with George. "But you do owe us, Harry."

"I know." Harry said before he realised just what he was letting himself into. All the Weasleys aside from the twins groaned simultaneously, and Ginny let her head drop onto the table with a thud. Surprised, Harry looked around at them all, saw the twins' thoughtful smiles and Mr. Weasley's amused expression, and found himself shaking with laughter.

"You've got a lot to learn about this family, Harry." Ginny giggled, raising her head, her brown eyes twinkling. "Never admit you owe _anything _to the twins – they'll make your life hell."

Bill and Ron were both sniggering now, and even Mrs. Weasley looked torn between amusement and exasperation. Harry couldn't help but join in on the laughter, not even sure what he was laughing at but finding himself unable to stop.

In fact, he didn't want to.

"_Laughter is the best medicine_," He recalled Hermione quoting solemnly during their sixth year. Ron had looked confused and told Hermione that you couldn't drink laughter, but Harry understood. And sitting in the kitchen with the whole clan of redheads laughing at nothing in particular was making him feel infinitely better.

"Don't worry, mate," Ron said to him quietly as they all settled back down to breakfast as if Harry's speech had never happened. "Bill and Charlie – their bark is worse than their bite. You're forgiven yet, I'm sure." Sure enough, there was no hostility in Charlie's gaze as he caught Harry's eye across the table, and Bill was eagerly chatting away to Ginny about her escapades in Venice.

"And what about you?" Harry asked back softly.

"I told you. I was hurt at first that you felt you couldn't talk to me and Hermione – but well, I'd never be able to understand. Only Ginny can, really. Just – if you _do_ ever want to talk, you know I'm here, right?"

"I know." Harry said. "And thanks. But – I'm okay."

And, he realised, he really was.

It was finally over.


End file.
